


A Beating Heart Within An Empty Shell

by jbmedallions



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, Androids, F/F, Gen, Robots, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swen - Freeform, implied rape, morality issues, sci fi future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-12
Updated: 2014-04-09
Packaged: 2018-01-04 10:30:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 21,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1079933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jbmedallions/pseuds/jbmedallions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Future!fic. Swan Queen. Being a droid mechanic was a laborious job, and sometimes filled with mind-boggling situations. But is Emma Swan prepared for the strange and all too human Regina? Toted as one of the best in her production line, Regina holds a secret within her very body that could get both her, and her unlikely saviour, killed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Just a quick oneshot I had in mind. I may or may not turn it into something longer but that depends on my muse. I hope you enjoy reading it!

“Swan! New shipment!”

Emma looked up from the prosthetic arm she was fiddling with and raised a hand in acknowledgement to one of her workers across the warehouse. “Start unloading. I’ll be there in a sec.”

After a few minutes, and once she was certain the arm was in working condition, she left her station and attended the new crate of faulty products. She stood beside August, one of her programmers, as the crate was unloaded. It was packed with large metal boxes about her size and, frankly, looked like coffins to her.

“More and more each day,” she murmured, a worried frown tugging her lips down. “What the hell are people doing to them?”

“The dolls are getting more like humans. At least physically.” August shook his head when one of the workers dropped one end of the boxes and the sharp sound echoed loudly. “Humans break other humans but normally face legal ramifications. But these are dolls. They can break them without much reprisal. At the most, it’ll cost them money to buy new ones.”

“Assholes.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, pulling out his datapad and consulting it. “New shipment’s mostly domestic models, merc- and security mods...and one companion model.” He whistled low, arching a brow. “And apparently one of the latest ones, too.”

“Which one? Glam Life or Bluebloods?”

“Bluebloods.” He tapped a few times and brought up a holographic image of a Blueblood model. There were actually a female and male one, both custom made to look elegant and beautiful. The tagline beneath the image was ‘made for royalty: only the best and beautiful’.

Emma looked away with a snort. “Royalty, yeah right. Pretentious assholes.”

August tapped the image away with a wry grin. “One of these days, you’re gonna have to tell me about your hatred of them.”

“Maybe,” she said. “Anyway, they’re about done. Which ones are you taking first?”

“Thought I might take a crack at the Blueblood. I’ve only ever worked on one model.”

“Alright, well, I’ll take the merc and security. Any problems, you give me a shout.”

“Same to you, Emma.”

~~~

She was doing the finishing touches on the final security mod when she noticed August standing near her station. His left wrist was wrapped up and he was grimacing. “What the hell happened to your wrist?”

“Blueblood model,” he said, pulling out his datapad. He winced from his jostled arm. “I turned her on for a general check and she lashed out before I could override her system.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “You did secure her before you did the check, didn’t you?”

“Uh, I forgot,” he said, sheepishly, ducking when she threw a wad of paper at him. “In my defense, nothing in the report stated she was prone to violence.”

“Doesn’t matter, Booth. Protocol states you need to secure her before attempting any maintenance or repair check. Did she break it?” Emma indicated his wrist. He nodded. “You’re lucky it wasn’t your face. Pretty sure a broken jaw would hurt more.”

“Yeah, yeah. Could you take over for me? I need to head to the medi-centre to get this fixed and you know the wait line is hideous.”

She groaned piteously. “Oh come on, Booth. I just finished three mods. I wanna go home.”

“Please? I’ll owe you dinner.”

“Three.”

“One. You eat like a starving pig.”

“Three.” She crossed her arms and glared at him.

“Two and I’ll give you the bag of mints in my car.”

“Peppermint?”

“Of course.”

“Fine. Two dinners and a bag of peppermints. Now get the hell out of here or you’ll be waiting all night.” She made shooing gestures at him.

He handed her the datapad with a broad smile. “Thanks, Emma. Report’s on here as well as any pertinent information regarding her make and model. Everyone’s gone except for Ivan and he said he’d be heading home in about an hour. You alright on your own?”

“I’ll be fine. Not the first time I’ve worked long hours.”

“Alright. I’ll see you later then.” He said goodbye and left her poring over the report and making notes.

~~~

She stood beside the android, staring down at her with a furrowed brow.

The model was a little shorter than her own height with smooth tanned skin. A skin hugging pair of black shorts and an equally black breast band kept the more private body parts covered. Long legs, flared hips and a decently small waist. She had strong arms, well-muscled, even when resting. Emma’s observing gaze moved up to her face, noting the rounded chin and strong jaw and smooth cheekbones. She was well-made even for a Blueblood. Emma found it interesting that, despite being off, the android gave of a distinctly regal air.

“Time to turn you on, eh?” She made sure the titanium bonds were in place, locked carefully around each limb, before tapping away at the datapad. “Initiate android activation. Model number one oh eight.”

There was a quiet beep and a bland female voice spoke up. “Security code?”

"Seven six six nine E-V-A."

Two beeps followed. "Android activated."

There was a brief silence as the machine worked until Emma heard the android beginning to breathe. It was a facsimile of actual human breathing but it made for a more realistic behaviour, especially for a companion droid. Emma kept a careful eye on the droid as she began to open her eyes. The report said era eyes would be brown but in the harsh work light, they were more like a dark amber. Like honey or whiskey, she thought then shook herself out of her stupor. She cleared her throat. She had a job to do.

"Please state your model number, your production line and personal name."

When the droid began speaking, a warm shiver ran down her spine at the husky drawl. "One oh eight, Blueblood..."

Emma waited for the last answer, a little surprised the droid had paused. "Personal name, 108?"

A warm shudder crawled down her spine when those eyes met hers. She could have sworn they glittered with actual emotion.

"My name is Regina."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of chapter 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Go muse! Updates will be sporadic and short, just as a warning. The following chapter will be more like snapshots than a long and detailed encounter. Hope you enjoy!

_"My name is Regina."_

Emma cleared her throat again, pulling herself away from the unintentional staring match. "Well, then, Regina. You're at White Knight Repairs, slated for maintenance and a repair and reboot. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Are you aware of the reason?"

"I attacked my owner."

Emma glanced down at the datapad. "Report states you tried to strangle him. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Why?" she asked, curious. While it wasn't rare that an android malfunctioned - companies competing with each other focusing more on quantity than quality - it was odd to find a Blueblood acting out. Mills Corp had a reputation for producing one of the best androids in the market except for Midas Industries who only catered to the celebrity market. Lucrative, yes but not on the same level as the former with their 'blue blooded' clientele.

"Why?" The droid looked confused and it made Emma's breath catch. The expression was so life-like. Mills Corp certainly outdid themselves with this model.

"Yeah. Why'd you try to strangle him?"

"I believe it is in the report."

"It isn't, actually." She set the datapad to the side and approached the droid, conscious of the way she was being watched. "It just says you attacked him unprovoked."

"I did not!"

Emma blinked rapidly, stunned at the vehemence of the words. Brown eyes flashed with anger and her cheeks were flushed. She looked at the bio-monitor; the artificial heart was beating faster.

"Alright, I'm sorry I asked," she said calmly. "I'm just going to ask you a few questions for testing purposes."

The droid nodded stiffly, actually looking offended. Shit, she really needed to have a look at what type of A.I. was being used because she'd never seen one so emotive.

She glanced down at the questions she had picked and cleared her throat. "Please state the year, month and day you were created."

"2122, second of June."

A small tap. "Please state the current year, day and month."

"2128, seventeenth of October."

"Mhm. What are the commonly accepted colours of the rainbow?"

"Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet."

"In fable, who sold a cow for five beans?"

"Jack."

"What lives in a formicarium?"

"Ants."

"What is the square root of fifty-two?"

"To which decimal place?"

"Let's go with the third."

"Seven point two one one."

"Okay then…" She stepped away from the droid. "That's that done."

"You're going to deactivate me and wipe my memory, aren't you?"

Emma hesitated then nodded albeit reluctantly. For some reason, she disliked telling her that. "If it makes you feel any better, you're not going to be recycled."

The droid closed her eyes and turned away, silent. Not knowing how to react to that apparent dismissal, she began attaching wires to her, all the while trying to avoid looking too long at the perfectly made body. Preparations done, and with the final step to go, she hovered beside the quiet droid. Her eyes opened and Emma's heart nearly stopped at the dull gleam of despair in them before they went blank again.

"Well, this is the last stretch," Emma said softly. "After this, you'll be going home."

"Thank you for your hard work." It was an automated response, bland and pleasant and utterly lacking in any emotion. She's a droid, Swan. Of course she doesn't have emotions.

"Right." Lacking anything further to say, and she wasn't going to say goodbye to a droid, she initiated the process. "Nova, initiate the Cleansing Protocol."

"Yes, ma'am."

A quiet click and the machines whirred to life, loudly, before settling into a barely noticeable hum. The wires began to glow a soft blue, flickering every now and then as they began to do their job.

Emma watched for a moment before turning away, grasping tightly onto the datapad.

"I don't."

Emma turned back to see the droid had opened her eyes and was looking at her. It may have been the light but she could have sworn there were tears glistening. "You don't what?"

"Feel happy. I'd rather be recycled."

Her mouth dropped open in shock. "Wait, what?"

But the droid had closed her eyes again, and judging by the way her chest now ceased to move, she had been deactivated. The wire lights changed to red, an indication that the droid's memory was being wiped. A wave of disappointment passed through Emma. She set the datapad on the table and pulled a chair close.

This time, she watched for the entirety of the process.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wiped and reactivated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Rating upgraded M. Also, trigger warning: heavily implied rape scene towards the end. Please don't read it if affects you. Otherwise, happy reading.

  
"Is she on yet? Papa, please, I want to see her!"

"Quiet, Snow. Let's see...ah, here we go. Initiate code: 7669 E-V-A."

Blueblood droid 108's system began to activate, her non-functional lungs inflating and deflating to mimic human breathing. The artificial heart began to cycle red plasma through her body, giving it the required healthy glow while the melanin secreted in her prosthetic skin were activated. She opened her eyes, the dull gray darkening to a colour that fluctuated between amber and brown.

"She's like she was before! Papa, may I play with her now?"

"Give her time to acclimate, darling. And let me finish personalizing her before you whisk her away. Hello, android."

"Hello, sir," she replied, her voice a low and husky. "I am droid 108 from the Blueblood production line. Brought to you by Mills Corp. Miss Mills would like to express her thanks for your purchase."

"Hm. They certainly wiped her memories."

"Papa, hurry up!"

"Alright, alright. Let's see...are your memory and recording functions working?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, good. Limbs operating?"

"Yes, sir."

"What do you remember?"

A pause. "I do not understand your query, sir."

"Do you remember living here?"

"No, sir."

"Well, that's alright then! Let's proceed, shall we? Snow, this might take some time so why don't you go play with Daniel?"

"But Papa…"

"No buts, princess. Hurry along now."

"Fine. But as soon as she's done getting acclimated, we have to have a tea party."

"Yes, princess."

The door slammed shut behind her, leaving her alone with her owner.

"Do you know who that is?"

"No, sir."

"That was my daughter, Snow. She was named after the fairy tale, you know?"

"Yes, sir."

"Anyway, my name is Leopold. And your name shall be Regina."

"Yes, sir. Name recorded."

"Good, good. Now, Snow's mother died several years ago and she was terribly distraught over it. Until she saw you. You were on display at a charity event and she wanted to buy you. Of course, I indulged her. She wants you to be her mother. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hm, we'll have to work on your personality program. Too wooden."

"Yes, sir."

"A worry for another time. Now, as I was saying, she wanted you to be her new mother and I, well, I do get lonely. You'll serve Snow as a mother figure and you'll serve me as a wife. How does that sound?"

"You are my owner. I do as you will."

"Definitely need to have another look at your personality program."

Clammy hands reached for her shoulders and she was pushed down onto a soft surface. 'Regina' identified it as a bed. She watched passively as her owner began to undress before climbing atop her. His hands pushed at her thighs.

"Now, like any wife, you have duties befitting your title. This will be one of them."

"...yes, sir."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Daniel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you everyone for your interest in the story! It makes me happy you like it enough to want to read more. I hope I don't disappoint. Anyway, there was a little confusion regarding flashbacks. There will be no flashbacks. Allusions and mentions, yes, but no flashbacks. And I'll be dating the chapters so it's easier to keep track of the timeline. Any questions, please PM me or leave a review and I'll answer to the best of my abilities.

_21st October, 2128_

"Emma."

"What?"

August sighed, sitting in the only other chair available in her small office. "You've been in here moping ever since you sent off that Blueblood droid. Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened. I fixed her and sent her back to the Whites."

"Bullshit nothing happened. There are three merc-mods out there. New ones."

"So?" She flicked through a couple of reports, not really paying attention but needing something to occupy herself.

"So? You're normally busting your ass down there, tinkering away. Especially if they're new." He crossed his arms. "So what's the problem?"

She glanced up then away, abandoning her pretence at work. Gnawing at her lip, she hesitated. "Do you ever think they can be sentient?"

"The droids? They're machines, Emma. If they seem real, it's because we programmed them that way."

"I know that," she snapped, a little embarrassed she was asking in the first place. Running a nervous hand through her hair, she sighed. "Sorry. I mean, I know we program them but do you ever think they're able to think for themselves?"

August leaned back in his chair, his arms unfolding and resting loosely in his lap. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully at her. "Does this have anything to do with the White droid?"

"Regina," she murmured.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing." She shook her head dismissively. "You know what? Forget I asked anything. I need to look at the merc-mods anyway."

She got up, grabbing her datapad. August followed her quietly until they reached the work floor. She let him go with a distracted 'bye' but he stopped her, hand resting gently on her arm.

"I think it's possible."

She peered up at him in confusion. "What?"

"Robots being sentient."

"Oh." She hesitated again, uncertain. It was an uncomfortable feeling for her but she pushed through. "And how would you feel about that?"

He smiled. "I don't know. But I'd be very interested in their thought process."

***

"Come on, Regina! We're going to be late for the tea party with Daniel."

Regina followed behind obediently as Snow hurried her towards the parlour room. The dress Snow had given her was restrictive, her normally long strides recalibrated to accommodate the skirt. The pearls, artificially made, encircling her neck bounced and scraped at the silk with each step. Her heels clicked against the polished tile, a staccato beat in the relatively silent house.

They reached the parlour room, Snow grabbing her hand and tugging her inside. Regina did her usual scan of the room, noting the differences and filing it away. She was led to the glass table set near the centre, surrounded by ornate wooden chairs. A luxury expense afforded by only the very wealthy as wood, and subsequently trees, were a rarity.

"Two minutes late, little Snow. Where are your manners?"

Snow made a face at him, pulling Regina along until they were in front of the young man seated at the table. "Hush, Daniel. We were distracted by the birds. Weren't we, Regina?"

"We were indeed," she agreed, her face moving into a smile. "Snow found the colours fascinating."

"They were very bright! I've never seen such vivid colours in my life, at least not from the holograms." Snow began her effusive babble about the birds, sitting down next to her brother who had an indulgent look on his face. Regina remained standing, having not been ordered to sit.

Snow paused and glanced up. "You can sit down at tea time without my saying so, Regina. You know that, right?"

The smile that had remained on her face softened a little, something that caused her to internally examine her facial mechanics. Outwardly, she nodded and sat down. "I know, Snow."

"Good!"

Regina felt herself being watched. Looking up, she met Daniel's curious gaze even as he continued to make affirming noises at Snow's enthusiasm.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Slightly longer update. Quick, too, since I couldn't sleep. Yay for sleepless nights.
> 
> For the guest reviewers (on FF.net but I'll put it here, too): Daniel and Snow are 10 years apart, and no, Daniel is very much human.
> 
> Thank you very much for your reviews! And for the faves and follows, too. You guys are great. :D  
> Also, Robo-Regina. Hehe.

 

_3rd May, 2129_

"Daniel, I'd like some time alone with Regina, please."

"Sorry, Papa, but I need her right now. She's helping me with the current stocks and you know how much I hate to disappoint you if they fall."

Leopold expressed a noise of irritation. "Very well. Do you know where Snow is?"

"Likely with Johanna and Eugenia in the kitchens. I believe they're making apple pies."

He left without a word.

Regina, having been ordered to be silent when both she and Daniel had heard Leopold's heavy footsteps, regarded him silently. Daniel smiled at her, gentle and easy.

"Why did you lie?" she queried.

"Was it a lie though?" He gestured to the the datapads and hard paper copies lying strewn about on the table. They were in his study, one of the few rooms that seemed less luxurious and more functional with it's chrome and glass furnishings. He had pulled her in here when she had passed him on the way to her assigned room. "I do need your help."

"Your track record with the White stocks and affiliated companies has always been impressive and the stocks managed by you have not fallen below average in that time. As it is, you do not require my assistance," she stated, the data in her memory filtered down through her conversational program. "So I do not understand."

"You think you're so smart," he teased. Her facial muscle ticked without her permission. She stilled, wondering if he had noticed. She had yet to figure out why her face seemed to glitch without warning and was very close to asking Leopold to send her into repairs. Her aural sensors caught his next words. "Leo's been paying too much attention to you."

Her face shifted into confusion. "He is my owner. It is a natural reaction to products purchased."

He grimaced in disgust. "Setting aside that unpalatable phrasing, he has been paying inappropriate attention to you."

Regina stilled. "I do not understand your inference."

He watched her, an intent look replacing the disgust in his eyes. His voice was very kind, very warm when he spoke. "I think you do."

"I am an artificial being, created to perform duties that have been assigned to me. My duties include being a 'mother figure' to Snow and all that it entails-"

"But that doesn't mean it's your duty to have sex with Leopold," he interrupted softly, stopping her flow of words. "It's immoral."

"But not illegal," she countered, her gaze darting around the room until it fell to just above his eyeline. She couldn't meet his eyes and there was a strange sensation that she couldn't identify.

"But not illegal," he repeated. There was a sadness in his eyes as he observed her.

After a few moments of silent staring, he sighed and picked up one of the datapads and began querying her about numbers and probabilities. They worked like that until Snow burst into the study, brandishing an imperfect and burnt pie in her hands. They each had a piece, Snow demanding that Daniel tried at least a bite when he balked but cajoling towards Regina when informed droids did not consume food.

The sensors in her mouth activated as soon she accepted the small offering of pie.

The crust was burnt, it had too many apple pieces, and her artificial stomach warned her she needed to purge the contents soon.

But.

It was sweet.

So she kept eating when Snow and Daniel offered her more.

***

"Hey Emma."

"Yeah?"

"Letter."

She didn't look away from the droid she was working on. "Send it to my datapad."

August waved an envelope in front of her eyes. "No, I mean, literally. You have a letter."

She straightened, arching a brow as he handed it over to her. "Who sends hard copies in this day and age?"

He shrugged, already walking off. "Dunno. But it must be important. I'll see you at lunch, yeah?"

"Yeah."

She set aside the tool she was using and opened the envelope, tearing indelicately at the paper. There was a single sheet of paper inside with only three lines, handwritten with an elegant and neat hand.

_Miss Swan,_

_There is something I need to discuss with you._

_Coordinates will be sent shortly._

Her datapad announced an incoming email as she finished reading the short message. She glanced at it before opening it up. There were, indeed, the coordinates along with a date and time. There was no signature. Curious, she employed a tracking program but it bounced back with nothing, surprising her. Whoever it was didn't want to be found prematurely.

She wrote down the coordinates on the letter and purged the email, making sure there was no trace of it.

"Everything all right over there," August called across the room.

She gave him a small wave. "Yeah, all good here."

The letter was shoved into her back pocket but for the rest of the day, it remained at the forefront of her mind.

_***_

_10th May, 2129_

"Please state your name."

"Emma Swan."

"Thank you. You are expected in room 603. Elevators are situated at the end of the hall. Have a good evening."

"Yeah, thanks," she muttered, shuffling inside once the Host droid allowed her inside the restaurant. The hall was long and wide and filled with the gentle strains of music made hundreds of years ago. She squinted slightly, listening, and recognising a few strains. Chopin?

As soon as she reached the elevators, painted and patterned to look like the wallpaper covering the hall, it opened, the sensors having activated by her presence. She stepped inside, tugging her jacket tighter around her. It was the cleanest one she could find but even then there were a few stains from work.

The journey to the sixth floor was uneventful and short and she soon found herself standing outside a door marked with the room number she wanted. She hesitated, pulling out the letter again, the paper having been crumpled from repeated perusal. She reread the words over and over but still nothing came to mind, just like the evenings and spare time she spent going over it and wondering who it was that wanted to talk with her. It might have been a stupid idea to come here alone but something had stopped her from telling August about it.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked, three beats sharp and quick, and waited.

A moment later, the door slid opened and she stared into the face of Daniel White. His eyes, so much like hers, crinkled up at the corners as he smiled, sad and wistful.

"Hello, little sister."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel's help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading, guys. :)  
> Trigger warning: there is a rape scene. It's implied and only in a few short sentences but please don't read it if it triggers you.

“Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting.”

Emma crossed her arms, glaring at him from her place next to the door. “You expected a hug?”

“No.” Daniel winced, dabbing at his bleeding lip. “But I wasn’t expecting you to deck me.”

“Fifteen years, Daniel.”

“I know.”

They regarded each other, silent and appraising. The last time Emma had seen her brother was in the middle of the night, his head popping up from beneath the covers as she was being led outside by their mother. It was hard to reconcile that image of the sleepy and rumpled boy with the handsome and well-suited man watching her from across the room.

“I didn’t get to go to her funeral,” she said, breaking the tense silence. Someone had to say something.

Daniel rubbed his head, messing up his perfectly coiffed hair. “I tried to persuade Leo to have an open ceremony but he said no. I’m sorry.”

“But not sorry enough to call me,” she bit out, years of hurt painting her words with anger.

He sighed. “What do you want me to say? I should have called and didn’t. And I’m sorry.”

“Fifteen years, Daniel! You couldn’t have picked up the phone and called me?”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I could say the same for you.”

“Oh yes, little old me who, for all intents and purposes, is just some random girl calling up to talk to the esteemed Daniel White.” She tried to tamp down the hurt and rage. “I tried! Over and over but they kept telling me ‘Mister White will not be taking calls from unknown individuals’. Sure as shit I wasn’t gonna beg to talk to you.”

“Emma…” He sighed wearily. “Look, we both screwed up okay? I can’t change that, you can’t change that so how about we try being civil with each other?”

“And what, let bygones be bygones and all that? It doesn’t work that way, Danny boy.”

“Don’t call me that,” he said in a terse voice. “And I’m not saying we just ignore those issues.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“I need help,” he said simply. “A favour.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What kind of favour?”

“A small one,” he said, leaning forward. “But it would help so much.”

She considered him for a moment before sighing and pushing away from the wall. She sat across from him, tilting the chair back and regarded him. “Talk and we’ll see where this goes.”

 

***

_14th May, 2129_

 

The table had scratches on it. It was easy to miss from far away but up close, they were clear. Especially in the muted light from outside the window.

There was a harsh grunt behind her, panting silence then the sound of a zipper.

“Clean up. Snow will be looking for you soon.”

“Yes, sir.”

She straightened, her wrinkled skirt falling to cover her thighs. The door closed behind her as she went over to the small water basin. There was a hand towel beside it but instead of using it, she stared down at the reflection in the water. Her face was impassive, make-up perfectly applied - Leopold had wanted her as life-like as possible so there was no permanent paint - and hair, that had been neat and tidy before, was now knotted in some places from repeated snatching.

“Regina…”

Her eyes widened and she watched surprise flash in them. She blinked, the blankness reappearing again so she dismissed it as another glitch in her system. Turning around, she took in Daniel’s appalled face. He was staring down at her clothes.

“Daniel, how may I help you?”

She watched his mouth open and shut silently before he swallowed. “Come here for a moment, please?”

“I need to clean up. Snow will be here shortly.”

“It can wait,” he said. There was a quiet anger in his eyes and a certain helplessness. She wondered if there was something she could do to appease it. “Please.”

She went to him and stood, waiting, as he produced something small from his pocket. He held it up for her to see and she recognised it as a nano-syringe.

“It is illegal for you to have that item in possession unless you have a prescription for it.”

“I know. But this isn’t for me.” He reached for her face, turning it around until her neck was exposed. “It’s for you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“He said this will protect you from Leo,” he murmured, pressing the injection point of the syringe to her neck. “I hope it works.”

Regina reached up to halt his hand. “Daniel, sir, protection is unnecessary.”

He pressed the injection button. There was a small tingle where the needle had gone through. Warnings flashed on her retinas as her body tried to track down the nano chips circulating her fluid system. “Something is wrong.”

“Regina?” She blinked and stared into Daniel’s concerned face. “Are you alright?”

Her jaw refused to move, the motor functions in her face shutting down. Her vision slowly faded, along with the rest of her senses.

And then nothing.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a nice guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yay, another update. This one longer, too. Just to clarify, these chapters are written in either Emma's or Regina's perspective so it may feel a tad disjointed. I apologise for that. But I did mention earlier that these are snapshots and that's how I plan on writing future chapters.   
> This isn't a reply to a review or PM but my way of covering my bases if someone has questions about it. Otherwise, please enjoy. Completely un-betaed and all mistakes are mine. Also, there's some salty language.  
> I can be found at saudadedreams.tumblr.com
> 
> A/N 2: Keep strong members of Swen!

Emma stared down from the landing at Daniel as he and August dragged in a droid box. They pulled it to her work station, scattering a few nuts and bolts as they did so. She leaned over the railing.

"What the fuck do you two think you're doing?" Her voice, loud and angry, echoed in the cavernous space.

They both glanced up, Daniel looking panicked whereas August glared up at her which struck her as strange.

"Get your ass down here, Swan," he ordered, already opening up the box. "We have a job to do."

She blinked as the droid was revealed. "What the hell is she doing back in here?"

"To get fixed. Now hurry up."

Gritting her teeth, she pushed away and made her way down the stairs. "I'll remind you that you work for me."

"And I'll remind you if not for me, you wouldn't have half of the programs running in this place."

"Could you two have the pissing contest another time," Daniel snapped.

She pointed a finger in his face, her ire now also directed at him. "Shut up, Danny. Don't get me started on you."

"Danny? You two know each other?"

"Not now, August," Daniel said.

"He's my stupid twin brother," she said at the same time.

They glared at each other.

"Wait, what?" August stared at one then the other, his head swivelling between them in shock. "Emma?"

She waved a dismissive hand, turning to the droid box where Regina was still inside. "I'll tell you later."

"It's none of your business," Daniel said forcefully.

"The hell it isn't," August bit out. "You never told me you were related to Emma."

"It wasn't relevant."

"Yeah because the little prince didn't want anyone to know he was related to a dirty street rat," Emma muttered, hands tapping away at her datapad.

"I had a good reason," he said, stepping towards her. Rough hands pulled him back and shoved him away. He and August glared at each other. "I'm talking to my sister."

"Yeah, well, seems pretty clear to me you hurt her so how about you go swagger your way over to the waiting area over there." He hooked his thumb towards the entrance where a bench was set up against the wall. "We'll be with you when it's done."

"Get lost, Daniel," Emma said. "Or I'll give you more than a bleeding lip."

"For fuck's sake," August muttered before manhandling Daniel to the bench. Emma turned around to watch them when she caught some whispered words. She was still angry but her curiousity was peaked now, especially watching the two men interact. They seemed too familiar with each other to have met for the first time.

Once August returned, they helped Regina out of the box and laid her carefully on the examination table.

"So what's exactly wrong with her this time," she asked, her attention continuously drifting across the droid's face. It had been about seven months since she had sent her back to the White's. And her parting words had haunted her day and night, leaving her like a shell of herself during work hours. August had been kind enough to tell her she had look like shit. Bastard.

"She shut down unexpectedly so we need to find out why. Why didn't you tell me you had a brother?"

"Why don't you tell me how you and Daniel know each other?"

"Emma…"

"Don't Emma me, Booth. What the hell is going on?"

He sighed, pulling the plugs around the table and began attaching them to Regina's limbs. "He and I don't know each other personally but through a shared acquaintance."

"So that acquaintance led him to you?"

"Yeah." He handed her a tool when she gestured silently.

"You're getting involved in something that could hurt you," she said softly. "Nova, run a diagnostic check for me, please."

"Yes, ma'am."

Emma stepped away from the table and turned fully towards August. "Did you know that he came to me first?"

"Emma -"

"Did you," she interrupted.

He dropped his head and sighed. "I did."

She stared at him angrily. "Fine. I can't be angry for what you agreed to do in your own time but why'd you bring them here? You have your personal workshop."

"Not for humanoid robots," he snapped, seeming frustrated. "Look, I did someone a favour and he just happened to be your brother and I'm sorry, okay? Can we just work on the droid and finish up?"

"Fine."

They worked in tense silence until Daniel wandered back over to them. He seemed hesitant as he approached, glancing between them. "Um, Emma. Can I talk to you for a bit?"

"I'm busy," she said shortly, not bothering to turn around.

"Please."

She didn't answer until August nudged her, hard, in the side. Giving him a dirty look, she practically threw the datapad at him and marched up the stairs to her office. "We can talk in my office."

"Why are you so angry," Daniel asked, hurrying after her. He closed the door once they were inside, giving them some privacy.

"Because you are risking my company by being here!" She began to pace behind her desk, shooting him angry looks. "Do you realise how this could affect me? I could lose this place and be jailed because of you."

"You weren't going to help me!"

"Because what you wanted me to do is illegal as fuck! And now you've managed to get August in on this." She stepped up close to him, eyes boring into his. "And for what? A droid?"

"She's being violated by Leopold and I want to put a stop to that," he snapped. "Is that so wrong?"

"'Is that so wrong?' he says." She shoved at him, beyond angry now. "Where was that moral compass of yours when your sister was left abandoned in a fucking foster home, huh? My own flesh and blood, my twin, caring more for a robot who's incapable of feeling anything than his sister who, for fucking years, was thrown in that shitfest of a foster system."

"You don't understand," he began.

"What I understand is that you couldn't be bothered to help your sister but the moment a pretty droid comes by, you start huffing about like you're some goddamned morally good person. So what? Your brain needs to work in tandem with your dick before you do anything?"

"Shut up," he snarled, pushing her back. "You don't know what you're talking about."

She shoved at him. "Don't I? The White prince not happy with what I'm saying? If you're so intent on saving a droid because of the way she's been treated, why don't you do the same for other droids? You don't get to pick and choose who you save, Danny."

He was furious, she could see that. A small voice told her if she continued to push, things would end badly but she couldn't help the hurt and anger borne from years of feeling abandoned. She felt betrayed.

He pushed her again, this time managing to knock her against the desk. "I tried, okay? After Mom died, I tried to get him to take you into the family but he said no."

"And how many times did you try before you gave up? Before you sent me that message?"

He looked away. "He threatened me."

"What was the threat, Danny? Was it 'I'll disown you if you keep asking about that girl' because that's sure as shit what I got from that message. One you didn't even bother to deliver yourself!"

Someone thumped on the door, shocking them both.

"What the hell are you two doing in there," August called through the door. More heavy knocking. "Open the door, Emma."

She went over and pressed the door open, finding August on the other side with a raised fist. He quickly lowered it and pushed inside, gently moving her out of the way. She watched him approach Daniel with the angriest face she'd ever seen.

Daniel raised his hands in surrender. "Look, I-"

"Save it," August growled, grabbing the lapel of his coat and dragging him out of Emma's room. "I'm doing you a favour but it doesn't mean you can talk shit while you're here. Go home, White. We'll send your droid over when we're done."

"That's not- Emma!" He caught her gaze but she merely turned away, tidying up her desk with trembling hands. She listened to Daniel's protests as August dragged him bodily to and out the front door. A few minutes later, August reappeared in the doorway, watching her fiddle.

"Can I assume that that's why you're not a fan of wealthy people or nobles," he finally asked.

"Yeah," she answered quietly, giving up on the pretence of cleaning. "I don't want to talk about it."

He sighed, stepping out of the room. "You can't keep it inside forever, Emma. But alright, I won't ask again."

Her shoulders relaxed and she sent him a tentative smile, following him outside. "Thanks."

August wrapped an arm around her shoulder, squeezing her affectionately. If it had been any other time, Emma would have flung his arm off with a mock disgusted look but right now, she needed comfort.

"Let's get back to work, okay?"

"Okay."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Regina. Second meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Finally finished with this chapter. It's a Regina and Emma chapter, too! :) Unbetaed so all mistakes are mine. If anyone watches Rizzoli and Isles, I kinda paraphrased a quote(s).
> 
> Happy holidays everyone and a happier New Year! Thanks for the reviews/follows/faves, as well!

 

The work floor was quiet except for the humming from various machines. August had left earlier with a harried 'I'll be back' after they scanned Regina's systems and found nanobots attached to the various CPUs in her body. The majority of them in the computer memory. He had looked a bit sick which freaked her out a bit and made her wonder what he knew. She hoped it wasn't anything illegal.

"Nova, give me another quick scan of her system and tell me if anything new comes up."

"Yes, ma'am. Scanning."

While Nova did her work, Emma sat down on a stool next to Regina, studying her passive face. She looked no different from the last time she had been here but there was something missing. Before, she had seem...more even in standby mode but now there was something meek and unassuming and it put her off.

"Scan completed. No new activities detected."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, ma'am."

Emma didn't want to proceed until August returned so went and got her datapad and began working on other projects. She made sure to check on Regina every few minutes just in case something were to happen.

An hour passed and still no sign of August. She grew worried so she made a quick call to his commlink.

"Booth," he snapped, once the connection went through..

"Where the hell are you?"

"Oh. Emma. Now's not a good time."

"Not a good time...What do you have to do that takes more than an hour?"

"Just stuff. Look, I'll call you back when I can."

"But what about Regina? We need to get her back to the Whites or they'll be coming by for a visit. And you know how much I hate it when people do that."

"I don't know-" He paused and she could hear some muffled talking on the other end. He sounded reluctant when he spoke again. "Turn her on and ask her questions about her life."

She raised a brow. "Her life?"

"Or memories. Whatever. Look, I really need to go. I'll talk to you later."

He hung up and when she tried to call him again, it went straight to voicemail. Rolling her eyes, she regarded Regina, lying prone and still with the myriad of cables and wires still attached to her. Since there were more cables than the last time, she had Nova detach them using the portable Hekaton. It's many arms went to quick work, carefully unplugging and pulling the cables out. Having finished it's job, it retracted it's arms into the cylindrical body beneath the table.

Regina, as required by work protocol, was naked but Emma forced herself to feel nothing but professional interest. It was hard, though, which was why she immediately threw a thin sheet over her body once the cables were out.

Emma hesitated, a little conflicted on whether or not to wake her since she was having trouble being around the droid and she can imagine it'd get worse if she were awake and looking at her.

"'Talk to her', he says," she muttered, verbally inputting the code to wake her. She sat down, waiting for Regina to wake up. She pretended to practice making small talk, pitching her voice an octave higher. "Hi, Regina. It's been seven months since I last saw you. It's nice to see you again. I hope you don't mind me poking around your naked body."

"Technically, I'm not naked."

Emma went bright red. She leapt up from her seat in surprise. "Holy crap, you scared me."

Regina stared back at her from where she was lying on the examination table. "I apologise for scaring you. It was not my intention."

"Yeah, no, it's fine," Emma said, fighting the urge to press a hand to her chest. She sat back down and glanced at her. "So, uh, you feeling okay?"

"Feeling is a human act, Miss…" She trailed off, looking at Emma expectantly. "I apologise. I don't recall being given your name."

"Can't you find that out yourself," she asked. Her details were on the public database so she was sure Regina could track down her name easily.

"It is more polite to ask the person in question when said person is in front of me," Regina said. And hell, if there wasn't a hint of snark in the tone. Her face was expressionless though so maybe she imagined it.

"Swan. Name's Emma Swan." She automatically held out her hand. Regina shook it with some hesitation. "Uh, your clothes are right there if you want to get dressed."

"Thank you." Regina sat up and swung her legs around. The movement forced the blanket to slip and twist around her waist, covering her lap but baring her chest. Emma, for some unfathomable reason, went red again and spun around on her stool. She tried not to listen to Regina dressing.

"I'm done."

She turned around and gave her a quick once-over, noting the style and cut of her clothes and appreciating how well it suited her.

"So…," she began, trying to find a good topic of discussion but coming up empty. Oh. Maybe… "Do you remember me?"

"No," came the immediate answer. Well there went that.

"Right, right." She fell silent, looking anywhere but at Regina and trying desperately to find or do something that would dispel the awkward atmosphere between them. Or just her since she knew droids didn't have the capabilities to feel awkward.

"Do you find my presence uncomfortable, Miss Swan," Regina asked.

"Honestly? Yeah."

"May I ask why?"

"Um, well. You're a little different. I mean, like the way you speak, for example. You're really formal with a speech but it doesn't sound like it's coming from a robot, you know?"

"My Perso-Pro program is highly advanced compared to most others. The Bluebloods are known for that. However…"

Emma perked up at that. "Yeah?"

Regina scrutinised her carefully. For some reason, she wanted to be confided in so she smiled encouragingly.

"My system seems to be getting overrun with nanobots," Regina finally said. "They seem relatively harmless but I'm a little concerned. Has Daniel spoken about what he did?"

Emma had been listening carefully and was a little intrigued at the wording Regina had used. A robot could use the word concerned if the context was right but it normally lacked the required emotion behind such stated sentiments. Regina, however, sounded genuinely concerned and Emma's mind flashed back to the first they had met and her devastating words. The mention of Daniel's name snapped her back to the present and she frowned, a small ball of guilt forming in her stomach. While she had nothing to do with it, in fact had outright rejected the plan, she was still aware of the nature of it.

"Not details, no," she said. A half-truth would have to do. "What exactly did he do?"

"He said it would help me and then injected me."

"Help you from what?"

Regina's face went blank and her voice voice, while not exactly warm, was now downright chilly. "Nothing that concerns you."

Emma was taken aback at the sudden dismissal. "Um, sorry. Didn't mean to pry."

She fiddled with items beside the table, confused and at a loss at how to break this silence now. Catching her datapad in her peripheral vision, she waved her hand a little to get Regina's attention. She reached over to grab her datapad and tapped in a quick search. When Regina looked at her curiously, she activated the holographic function and a shimmering image of water surrounded them, spreading as far as fifty feet from where they were seated..

"What is this," Regina asked, looking around, the water reflecting in her eyes.

"Fishing!"

Emma, grinning, slid the stool over to Regina, accidentally brushing against her bare leg. She said nothing when Regina subtly flinched although she did silently file it away for later musing. The hologram flickered as she went through all the rules, demonstrating how to flick the datapad to simulate a fishing rod. Regina was reluctant, holding the datapad with careful hands.

"I don't believe this is appropriate for the workplace, Miss Swan. Don't you have business or work you need to attend to?"

"You are my business," she said. "Think of this as an impromptu systems check."

"For what?"

"Motor control." She shrugged. "Something along the lines of making sure everything's in working order blah blah blah. Anyway, are you gonna cast the line? If not, gimme. I haven't tried this in months."

She made to snatch at the datapad but Regina whisked it away from her, holding it protectively behind her back. "I'll be casting the line. You keep your grabbing hands away."

Emma hid a smile as Regina glared at her warningly. This Regina was fun. She wondered if they had installed a new Perso-Pro since last she saw her because damn, the level of genuinity was amazing. The longer she spoke to her, the more involved Regina seemed to be.

"Why isn't this working? I've moved it as you've demonstrated but it only casts ten feet away. This datapad is malfunctioning."

Emma focussed in time to see Regina frown down at the datapad.

"Good thing you don't have laser eyes or my datapad would have a few extra holes." She got up to sit next to her, reaching over to demonstrate again. A quick glance at Regina's face had her catch the droid staring at her. They both froze, Emma keenly aware of her proximity and she could swear there was a tinge of pink rising to Regina's cheeks. Must have been the light from the hologram because there was no way she could be blushing.

"Emma, you in here?"

August's unexpected call, loud and echoing as it was, startled them both. Regina, who had been holding onto the datapad, jerked in surprise and released the device. Emma's grip on the datapad had been tenuous at best, the weight having been held by the droid, so when Regina had let go, the datapad had slipped from both of their grasp and crashed to the floor.

The holographic water around them flickered then disappeared as the datapad shut itself off after a few warning beeps.

Emma and Regina were still staring down at the floor when August ran inside, his eyes wide and darting. "What was that? What happened?"

"My datapad broke." Emma bent down to grab it, holding onto Regina's arm for balance. She handed it over to August with a sigh. "Think you can fix it?"

"I can try. What were you guys doing anyway?"

"Fishing. I was showing her how to cast the line when you interrupted and scared the crap out of us."

August, who had been picking at shattered screen, looked up. He glanced between the two of them. "Fishing. Catch anything?"

"No," Regina said, finally piping up. There was a certain indignant air about her that had Emma fighting back a chuckle. "Miss Swan's datapad seems incapable of handling a simple game."

"Hey! I've had this for years and it works fine for me. Maybe it just doesn't like you."

"Well, Regina's right, Em. Besides the data streams, it's not exactly the best model out there." He set the datapad on the table. "I can fix it but you're better off buying a new one."

"Aw, come on…"

"You can afford it," he pointed out, giving her a patient look.

Regina cleared her throat. "I have to apologize, though. It was my fault. I'll find some way to pay you back for it."

"What? No, no, no. You don't have to do that. It was just an accident and I was kidding about it. It's really not that important."

Regina looked sceptical but nodded. Emma smiled until she caught August's disbelieving look. She shot him a killing look when he looked like he was about to speak. He huffed but didn't say anything. She turned back to Regina. "Um, since August is back, I guess we can continue with, you know, your repairs and such. Think you can go into standby for us?"

"Not full shutdown," Regina queried. She began to take her clothes off, the blouse hanging open within seconds. Emma felt a little uncomfortable and not because of propriety. She was used to seeing certain droids strip, as per their Perso-Pro commands but it was usually the Glam Life models, not the Bluebloods.

"Not full shutdown," she replied quietly, averting her eyes and pinching August, hard, since he was staring. He yelped and shot her a wounded look but turned around anyway, rubbing at the sore spot with a pout.

"I see. Is full nudity required?" Emma shook her head. She heard a little rustling before it settled. "Then I hope you don't mind if I use the blanket. It seems my body discomfits you."

"I'm not complaining," August muttered, earning him a threatening look from Emma. He took a long step away from her.

"It's not that," Emma started. "I've seen plenty of naked people and it's not something I go nuts over. Not that I'm saying your body isn't worth going nuts over. Far from it. In fact, it's pretty top notch and you've got an amazing figure and I'm babbling aren't I?"

"Yes," Regina and August said in unison.

She sighed. "Right."

"Thank you for the compliment, regardless," Regina said, sounding very amused. It made Emma's shoulder droop in embarrassment. Way to go, Swan, she thought sourly. Managed to make a joke of yourself in front of a droid. No wonder you can't get a date.

"You're welcome," she said, ignoring the snicker from beside her. She'd get him later.

"I hope you have a productive work time. On standby."

Emma looked up as Regina finished speaking. Her body went limp and there was an eerie stillness to her that made Emma's heart thud faster until she reminded herself that Regina wasn't dead. Not alive either but she pushed that thought aside.

August clapped his hands, making her jump. He grinned at her. "Alright. Let's get to work, shall we?"

"I swear to god, Booth, one of these days…"


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It's 4:30 AM and I'm now uploading this chapter. I'm sorry for any spelling and grammar mistakes but I'm too tired right now to edit. I'll probably do it later when I've some coffee or tea in me. Enjoy!
> 
> A/N2: Any questions, you can ask me on PM here or on tumblr at saudadedreams. I don't bite. :)

 

_16th May, 2129_

"Do you think they're going to stop any time soon?" Snow whispered, huddling against Regina's side. They were both sitting in the family room, attempting to watch a new film but the loud argument in the library was putting them both off.

Regina paused to listen. "I don't know Snow. They're both angry."

"I don't like it when they argue."

"I know," Regina said, hugging the girl close to comfort her.

She had returned to the White household once Emma and August had decided the nanobots weren't actively harming her. Daniel had returned to retrieve her and she had found a curious frigidity between him and Emma, the latter deliberately acerbic and unfriendly. It had resulted in a tense car ride home. Snow had been happy, of course, hugging her and dragging her to show her the various things she had missed in the two days she had been gone. It had eventually ended with them in the family room until Daniel and Leopold started discussing business which then moved into the library once it became too heated. The door was closed but every now and then the muffled voices were raised and they could catch a few words.

"...ridiculous if you think I'll let that pass!"

"...not a bloody toy!"

"...as I please! You have no business…"

Snow huddled even closer, wrapping her arm around Regina's waist. She mulled over her next course of action before deciding that since she was supposed to make Snow happy, stopping the two from a blowout would be a prudent idea. She eased out of Snow's embrace, giving her a reassuring smile when the girl clung to her hand.

"It's alright," she soothed. "I'm just going to go talk to them."

They were still arguing so she knocked twice. When it became clear that neither of them had heard, she pushed the door open with some determination.

"You treat your car better than you do her," Daniel shouted, red-faced and furious. "That's not right!"

"I'll treat her any way I want to treat her," Leopold yelled back. "I bought her so she's mine to do with as I please. And don't you stand there and spout morality at me, boy. I've seen the way you look at her. You've not so innocent intentions."

"Gentlemen," she called out before Daniel could continue. Both men turned to look at her, eyes wide. She smiled blandly, a practiced movement that had little to do with her program. "I apologise for interrupting but your discussion is getting much too loud. Snow is a little concerned."

The subtle reprimand was enough to silence them but the flash of annoyance in Leopold's eyes told her she was going to be punished for her boldness later. She glanced away and caught Daniel's eyes. He looked guilty but, after catching the tail end of that argument, she doubted it was just about Snow.

Leopold cleared his throat. "We're done here so Snow should be happy."

"Yes," Daniel agreed, smoothing down his jacket. "Perhaps we should return to the movie. She's been dying to watch it with all of us."

Leopold nodded stiffly and strode past Regina. He paused for a second to whisper in her ear. "I expect you in my room later tonight."

She nodded, tamping down the decidedly unnatural revulsion crawling up her spine. Her eyes were still on Daniel though and she saw the anger replacing the guilt.

"Daniel," she said softly as he went to move past her. "We need to talk about what you did to me."

He paused, his gaze sharpening on her. "Yes, we do. How about tomorrow morning? Snow will be with her tutors and Leopold will be out all day."

She nodded and he continued through the door. When they returned to Snow, Leopold merely gave them a suspicious look before turning his attention back to the screen.

Regina repressed a sigh. It was going to be a long night.

###

"Go home already. You're worse than me."

Emma peered up at the face hovering above hers. "I was taking a nap."

"On an examination table?"

"I was tired," she said, finally sitting up. Her back cracked as she twisted her body making her groan. "And the office was too far away."

August cocked his head in consideration. "You know, this reminds me of something."

"What?"

"Well, the last time Regina was here, you moped for days after she was sent back. You're doing the same thing now."

She glared at him. "I'm not moping."

"Tell that to your face." He bumped her shoulder, grinning, when she huffed in annoyance. "But seriously, go home. You need to sleep. There's a big shipment coming in tomorrow afternoon and I don't want you accidentally poking yourself in the eye because you're drowsy."

She sighed and rubbed at her face. "Yeah, okay. You heading home, too?"

"Yeah. I'll be in early tomorrow so you can sleep in a bit."

"Appreciate it. Nova, run a quick security check."

"Running," said the omnipresent voice. Emma took the opportunity to run upstairs to grab her things while August was left to clean up the clutter. She considered her broken datapad for a moment then decided against taking it home. It would be useless to her unless August fixed it.

"Check completed. No security breaches detected."

"Good. Thanks, Nova."

"You're welcome, ma'am."

"Emma," August called from the stairwell. "You done yet?"

She took a quick glance around to see if she forgot anything then made her way downstairs where August was waiting.

"Are you ever gonna put in the elevator again," he asked, walking with her towards the exit. They passed through reception area where Nova's A.I. hologram waved goodbye to them. The shimmering gold lit up the small room. It faded as soon as they cleared the room, the door's locking mechanism clicking into place. "It's a bit of a walk, up and down those stairs everyday."

"Eh, it's good for exercise," she said, opening the door and letting him go through first. She pressed her hand onto the soft gel as the biometric reader scanned. The metal outer doors slid closed in front of the glass doors. She pulled her hand away and a metal slate slid over the reader. It wouldn't open again until either her or August used a passcard. "And it's only two floors."

"Still not over what happened four years ago, are you?"

"No. And I really don't want a repeat of what happened either. Thank god Archie was a good enough sport about it. I can't imagine how much he would have sued us for if that droid had actually fallen on top of him."

"Yeah...I think everyone re-examined their health and life insurance after that."

"I sure did."

Since August only lived a few blocks away, Emma normally parked her car at his place before walking over so she escorted him home. It was late enough that the advertisement sensors were turned off which Emma was glad for. She didn't exactly want to have a man blaring into her face about his miracle toothpaste and giving her a heart attack. They passed a few teenagers loitering about who ignored them, their attention caught in a game of Liar's Dice. Actual dice too and not the cheap holographic ones available.

"August?"

"Hmm?"

"You said you did Daniel a favour. What was it?"

"Emma…"

"August, you brought her to my workplace. You involved me. And I'd like to know what it's about so I don't get blindsided by shit. Okay?"

He sighed. "I can't tell you everything because it's not my place."

"Does it have anything to do with Regina and her unusually emotive self?"

"Noticed that, did you?"

"I'm more interested in how unsurprised you are and you didn't even spend more than a minute in her company while she was awake. What are you hiding from me?"

"Lots of things. Like you hiding the fact you're related to one of the most powerful sons in the States."

She shot him an unamused look. "You're deflecting."

"I don't want to talk about it, Emma."

They arrived at his apartment building and Emma could see her car parked a little away from the entrance. She shoved her hands into her pockets instead and glared up at her long time friend.

"Tough. Now are you gonna tell me something at least? Because I really really hate being left in the dark."

"You can be a shit about it, too," he muttered, earning him a glare. "Fine, Jesus, come upstairs then before we get mugged or something."

Emma rolled her eyes as she followed him inside.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Welp, I finally kicked my ass in gear and punched out this chapter. God, it was easier in my head than typing it out. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Any mistakes are mine and mine alone, although I will blame long nights and lack of proper sleep as a factor in it. Read, review or comment, I'll take it anyway. :D

When she walked into August's apartment, it felt like she was getting slapped in the face by the smell of motor oil.

"Christ, August, when did you last air out your rooms?" She pinched her nose, trying hard not to gag on the smell. Her line of work made her somewhat immune to the strong smells but the vents in the building normally kept the intensity down. August's apartment was another story. "I'm surprised the building hasn't caught on fire with the amount of fumes I'm inhaling. Hell, I'm surprised your landlady hasn't kicked your ass yet."

"Granny's a softy and she loves me," he retorted, switching the air vents to maximum. They hummed loudly as the air purifier kicked in, diffusing the smell and leaving a somewhat fresher scent. He turned it down to the normal setting once they could breathe without choking. "And besides, like you're one to talk. The last time I went to your place, I thought I was in a living commercial for mac and cheese."

"At least I'm not in danger of setting myself or home on fire."

"Your cooking skills say otherwise."

She knuckled his shoulder for that, relishing in his grunt of pain. "Shut up."

He switched the lights on, having replaced the aural command board with a manual one since he disliked having to speak commands for something as simple as light. Granny hadn't been too impressed with him fiddling around but since he fixed her appliances whenever they broke, there was little complaint on her end.

"You know where everything is. I need to make a quick call."

He left before she could say anything, the door slamming shut behind him. She narrowed her eyes. He was as subtle as a ton of bricks. She settled onto the couch, kicking her legs up on the coffee table.

It was probably ten minutes before he returned, looking a little less secretive. She arched a brow at him. "You alright then?"

"Yeah. You want a drink?"

She nodded and watched as he grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge. "Look, if you really don't want to tell me, it's fine. I mean, I'll be pissed as hell, but it's your business."

He handed her the beer, cap already popped and took a long draw from his own. The couch jumped a little as he slumped into the seat next to her and she clutched her beer close to keep it from spilling.

"You don't know how to leave things be, do you," he asked, turning his head towards her. The words were a little ominous but he just sounded resigned.

"Not really."

"Alright." He sighed, pulling his legs up to rest beside hers. "Remember how I left Gepetto's for a couple of years?"

"Yeah, you said you won the lottery and went on a two year binge overseas, travelling and everything. Man, Marco was so pissed off. If it weren't for your little donation, I think he might have cancelled your apprenticeship."

"Well, I lied about that. I had the money, sure, but I wasn't overseas."

"Then where were you?"

"Just outside New York. South of the TED district."

"What were you doing?"

He fiddled with his bottle. "Em, what I say can't go beyond this room. Can you promise me that?"

"Did you kill someone or something," she asked, sitting up with wide eyes.

"No! It's just, you know...Look, can you make the promise or not?"

"Alright, alright. I promise not to say anything about this to anyone else outside of this room. Happy?"

"Not really."

"August."

"I was working on something and it may or may not have been illegal," he said, hedging.

"If you could just be a little less vague, that would be helpful." She nudged his shoulder. "Come on. How bad could it be?"

"You know how I was working on making an A.I. that could help lessen the amount of programs installed in the droids?" At her nod, he continued, "Well, that was what I was working on before this guy found out and got interested. He made me sign an NDA and paid a shitload of money for me to work on it. It's why I could send Gepetto that money and why I lied about being overseas."

She stared at him, unsure how to respond. That hadn't been what she was expecting. "So, uh, who's the guy?"

He grimaced. "I can't tell you."

"Why not? He has money but a lot of people have money. What's he gonna do if you tell me his name?"

"It's not him I'm worried about," he said darkly. "The people he's involved with are dangerous. He's harmless."

"Pretty sure that's not true," she muttered. Louder, "So I can't ask about him. What about the thing you were working on?"

August took a deep breath at that question. "I said it was illegal. Not because I killed someone but, well, I guess the potentiality of it could, but not if you can control it properly in a proper environment-"

"August," she interrupted. He ducked his head in apology.

"Um, well, there are laws regulating how human-like an A.I. can get, right? Well, that's why what I was working on could potentially get me arrested and thrown in jail. The A.I. program I made, still in beta-testing at the time, is supposed to, in essence, evolve. At least personality-wise."

"What do you mean, 'evolve'."

"We're using Perso-Pros right now for the humanoid droids so that they're 'real' enough to be entertaining, less frightening, whatever." Despite his earlier reluctance, August was now getting more and more into his explanation, his hands waving about for emphasis. "The A.I.s work in tandem with the Perso-Pros so one doesn't and can't work without the other. But my program, my A.I. is capable of both. It has an intuitive learning and adaptation code that simulates human emotion so it can interact with humans like, well, like a real human being. Take the Centurion droids for example, and a hostage situation. It's programming allows it to analyse the scene and plan accordingly. And yeah, it takes into account possible human reaction but it doesn't really understand. But my A.I. can. If exposed enough to the whole spectrum of human emotion, it can literally empathise with any human being and react like one. A Centurion using that A.I. could mean reducing the traumatic effects of that situation, something the government is trying to do for years!"

He paused, taking a deep breath. His eyes were wide with excitement now as he looked at her for a reaction. Emma, who had gaped at him the entire time, stood up and paced, not looking at him. Her mind was whirling with what he just told her.

"Emma?"

But one thing had caught her attention. She turned to face him.

"Setting aside the utter insanity of what you just said," she began slowly, a small ball of discomfort forming in her stomach. "I can't help but notice that...well…"

"What?"

"You used the present tense, August," she said softly.

He froze. "Slip of the tongue."

"Bullshit."

"Emma-"

"You said you worked on it for two years and with the level of excitement you're displaying right now, I'm gonna assume it wasn't just theoretical."

"...it wasn't."

She groaned. "August...what the hell did you do? Am I gonna see a rogue Centurion or something on the run?"

"No," he denied. "I wouldn't use a commercial droid for that."

"Oh great, so you custom made a droid for testing purposes. I don't know if that's worse or not. Am I gonna see  _that_  running around?"

He shot her a dark glare, harsh enough for her to take a step back in surprise. "His name's Pinocchio!"

* * *

Back at White Knight Repairs, the security nodes in the firewall were alerted to a remote hacker attempting to breach the system. They converged on the anomaly.

Silently, and covered in numerous stealth programs, another hacker used the distraction to slide through the firewall and into the winding paths. The hacker quickly ran through the myriad directories until it stopped at one. Aware of the short amount of time left, it deposited a two files into a hidden folder.

Job finished, the hacker just as quickly and silently, left the system, dodging the returning security nodes.

Nova, having been alerted by the nodes, did a quick scan of the system. She paused at Emma's office node and scanned it again. Nothing.

She continued on.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I was planning on holding this chapter until I typed out another until I realised it's been a week since the last update. Oops. Here it is. Reviews or comments (good and bad) are welcome. I'll try to get back to you but I'm terrible with that sort of thing.  
> Also, thanks to msSchneeheide for our lovely chat. :) And to Shayne who can't help herself (ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? lol).

“Pinocchio. You named him after a storybook character.” She slumped back against the windows. “A puppet that turned into a real boy.”

August looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them. “I wasn’t suppose to make him. The deal was that I’d work on the code  and then Hen- my benefactor would apply the knowledge in a controlled environment.”

She noted his little slip but kept her silence. It was better to listen to everything right now before August chickened out again. “So you built him and put the A.I. in him?”

He nodded. “It worked. I spent the remaining months with him, teaching him basic stuff like a parent would teach a human child. He  _learned_ , Emma. Like a toddler would. If he broke something and knew I would get mad - even if I’ve never actually been mad -  he’d go hide and cry. It was a breakthrough.”

“And illegal as all hell. Where was your benefactor in all this?”

“He had some problems with his people but when he found out, he told me to record everything down.” August snorted in derision. “As if I hadn’t already.”

“So what happened after? I mean, if you were so successful, why’d you come back to Gepetto looking for work?”

He hesitated. “That, I can’t tell you. I would get in serious trouble.”

“You just told me about your illegal activities, August. How much more trouble are you going to get into?”

“Well, for one, what I told you was about me. And I got permission to tell you that much. The rest...well, there’s a lot of names being thrown about. Powerful ones. And, Emma, much as I want to be honest with you, I value my life more.”

“Your life?” She stared at him. “Who the hell did you get involved with, August?”

“It’s not like I knew who he really was at the time,” he snapped. “Not until I asked him about a month later.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You, what, accepted a business deal without knowing who the hell you’d be working for?” She was shouting now, the implications of what he had done actually dawning on her. “Fuck, August, he could have just been luring you in to kill you the first day. In fact, with what you just told, I’m surprised you didn’t get killed soon as you gave him everything.”

“Well I wasn’t exactly in the best place when he offered to me, you know,” August said, his voice rising too. “Gepetto was pretty much more invested in you than me and I was shoved to the small corner where the only thing we did was input basic programs for the droids. I wasn’t gonna get hired anywhere with those credentials.”

“Pretty sure signing an NDA with some mysterious guy isn’t exactly a point for your resume either.” Emma rubbed her face. “Shit. Okay.”

He sighed and slumped back in his seat, eyes closed. “Look, I’m sorry but I did the two years and came back safe and sound. There’s no point worrying about it now.”

“I’m more worried about what’s going to happen.”

“That’s up to Henry so there’s no point in worrying about,” he said. His eyes popped open as soon as he finished speaking but it was too late. Emma stared down at him.

“Henry, is it,” she asked in a measured tone. “What’s his last name?”

He shook his head. “Emma, I can’t tell you.”

She stared at him. There were a lot Henrys, especially after the resurgence of classic names thanks to the reboots of movies. But pairing that name up with someone in power and extremely wealthy narrowed it down easily. There were a few international companies that had people carry that name. She narrowed her eyes.

“Jacobs, Dubois, Wong, Martinez, Eriksen, Mills.” She listed out the surnames of people associated with the name Henry, watching his reaction carefully for any signs of recognition. He flinched at the last. “Mills. It’s Henry Mills.”

He said nothing but the look in his eyes affirmed it for her. She wanted to strangle him. “Jesus Christ, August, you got involved with Henry Mills, the heir to fucking Mills Industries. And the goddamn son of Cora Mills. Do you have any idea what’s she capable of? Does she even know about your little experiment?”

“Do you think I’d be alive if she knew,” he hissed, eyes flashing with fear as he looked around. He looked spook when she mentioned Cora’s name. “And for the love of god, don’t say any names.”

“What? You think she’ll appear and stab you in the heart or something?”

“Surveillance, you ass,” he snapped. “I trust him to not betray me because despite his ties, he’s a good guy. But I’m not stupid that I don’t know he’s monitoring me so I’d appreciate it if you would listen and not pry.”

She flinched at his harsh tone but the growing fear and anger in his eyes subdued her so she nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Look, today’s been a long day. How about we sleep on it and we’ll talk tomorrow?”

She hesitated, knowing he was right but reluctant to let this go. “Alright, fine. Do you mind if I crash here then?”

He sighed, running a tired hand through his hair. “Yeah, sure. You know where everything is.”

 

* * *

 

17th May

She felt a nudge against her leg and opened her eyes, peering blearily up at August. He was leaning over her with two steaming mugs. “What time is it?”

“Ten past eight,” he said, waiting until she sat up before handing her the mug. “You alright?”

“Yeah, just tired.” She took a sip, wincing at the bitterness. “Damn, ever heard of sugar?”

“Ran out and you know I hate the cheaper synthetic so don’t even start.”

“Bourgeois bastard.” She took another sip, breathing in the steam to clear her head. “How much are they selling it for now? I’ve lost track.”

“Went up again, nearly twenty-five percent. I think it had something to do with the sugar cane farms getting tainted. The insecticide they used was apparently made from unapproved chemicals.”

She leaned back on the sofa, resting the mug carefully on her lap. “Seriously, just buy the synthetic sugar. It’s not gonna kill you.”

“It doesn’t taste the same,” he grumbled. He sat down beside her, nudging the blanket out of the way. “There’s always that weird aftertaste.”

“You’re so picky.”

“Shut up.”

They sat in silence, Emma staring down into her mug while August toyed with his. It was comfortable enough but she knew he was waiting for her to start asking questions again. After another five minutes where she watched him twist his mug this way and that way, she finally broke the quiet.

“What happened to the droid? To Pinocchio?”

“I’m not a mechanical engineer so when I made made him, I accidentally chose an old computer chip.” He spoke quietly and she could sense his sadness. “By then it was too late. After seven months, his body finally shut down and I extracted his memories.”

“You cared for him?”

He gave her a sidelong look. “He was a machine. Hell, he even looked like one since I didn’t have any synthetic skin to cover him but...he was a kid. In the end, he was a kid. And I miss him.”

She squeezed his arm in comfort. “I’m sorry then, about what I said last night.”

“Thanks.” He patted her hand and gave her a longer look, seeming to decide something. “About Regina…”

She stilled. “What about her?”

He cleared his throat. “You wanted to know why I know so much about her.”

“Well, I didn’t put it like that...but yeah.”

“It’s nearly nine,” he said, checking his watch. “Why don’t we get breakfast first then head over to White Knight. I’ll tell you what I can about her.”

“Deal.”

 

* * *

 

Regina stared into the bathroom mirror, noting down every aspect of her face. Unlike most of the other models, her make-up wasn’t permanent so she spent most mornings carefully applying the various powders and creams.

Right now, it was bare of anything, a blank canvas for her to paint over. She closed her eyes, blocking out her reflection and turned her attention inwards.

The nanobots had, over the last few days, worked laboriously, attaching themselves and extracting hidden information from her memory chips. She cursed them silently, not wanting to remember, but helpless to stop it. So all that was left was waiting.

She noted the time and sighed, opening her eyes to start on the make-up.

She and Daniel had a lot to talk about.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Regina/Daniel centric. Grit your teeth guys, we're getting to another SQ interaction soon. Mistakes are mine etc.

Regina nursed a warm cup of tea in her hands. She didn't plan on drinking it but it was something to do with her idle hands. Daniel was a little late and despite what she had said last night, she was not looking forward to their conversation.

Footsteps behind her before Daniel slid in the chair opposite hers, a small smile of apology on his face. "Sorry, I'm late. I got held up on an international call."

"That's fine. How was it?"

"The usual. At least this time, it didn't end in a shouting match."

She tried to smile but failed. "Daniel…"

"You want an explanation, don't you," he asked. At her nod, he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Where do I start?"

"Why?" She pushed the teacup away from her and fixed him with a steady look. "What possessed you to do that in the first place?"

"Regina, you must know my feelings towards you."

"I'm a robot."

"And I don't care about that," he said earnestly, reaching over to grab her hands.

 _You should_ , she thought.  _Because I do._  She squeezed his hands and pulled away. He had good intentions but for someone who stood to inherit a massive corporation, he was very short-sighted.

"Tell me what you did, from the very beginning," she said. It wasn't an order because she wouldn't dare do that to a human but Daniel had always been lenient with her. "I want to know."

He looked a little sad at her gentle rejection but nodded.

"It was right after I spoke to you about Leo," he began, clasping his hands on the table. "I didn't like how he was treating you and wanted to get you away from him. So I went to the one person who could help me without arousing too much suspicion. Emma Swan. She's the one who we've been sending you to for repairs." At that, his face sours, most likely remembering the occasions for it.

"I know. She and I have spoken a little."

"Yes, well, the reason I went to her is because she knows pretty much everything about your body." She flushed and he stumbled over his words, face equally red at the implication. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm so sorry."

He cleared his throat and continued. "Unfortunately, she refused. I was a bit desperate so I called someone else. He and I had spoken on occasion and he seemed likely to be sympathetic to your dilemma."

"And who was it you asked?" She didn't comment on the obvious fact that  _he_  had decided it was a dilemma.

"Ah…Henry Mills."

She stared at him. "You contacted Henry Mills? Why him of all people?"

"Because he always asked after you when we see each other. I thought, since you were from Mills Industry, he cared a little bit about you."

"It's a little more than that, Daniel."

"What do you mean?"

"He was the one who made me."

"You mean from the factory."

"No, I was a custom droid he made himself. I'm the only one that exists, or existed, on the commercial market."

Daniel frowned, a little confused. "Companion models are custom made, aren't they?"

"Companions are expensive, Blue Bloods even more so, but at the end of the day, we are still mass-produced," she explained. "Henry built me from scratch, computer chip to outer shell. Although Cora did take over once it came to cosmetic customisation."

"Do you know why he built you?"

"No." Her lips thinned. "I'm not entirely sure what happened but Cora put me on display at one of her events. I caught Leopold's interest and, well, here I am."

"Right." He cleared his throat. "Um, so I called Henry and he put me into contact with someone else who could help me. It turns out the help was a friend of Emma's. Her assistant, Booth."

"I've not had much of an interaction with Mister Booth but I had the impression he was more than an assistant," she noted.

Daniel shrugged, unconcerned. "I didn't know about their connection until I had to take you to Emma. That was an unpleasant surprise."

"You seem a little antagonist towards her. Why is that?"

"We have…history," he hedged, clearly not wanting to talk about it. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"I see."

"So."

She arched a brow.

"Did whatever I did work?"

"That depends," she said, mildly. "What were you expecting to happen?"

He looked away, mumbling. "I don't know. I just wanted to help."

Regina sighed, tamping down her irritation. He meant well but his lack of foresight astounded her. "Well, what's done has been done. But, Daniel?"

He looked up.

"Please don't do that again. I know you want to help but it would have been simpler to leave well enough alone." She knew it was harsh, seeing his flinch, but it was necessary. Her ability to feel beyond what a robot was capable of had the potential to cause her pain. She preferred the numb, obliviousness that programs afforded her.

"Regina…"

"Send me back to White Knight," she said, daring to impose her will on him. He wasn't Leopold, who had trouble taking orders from anyone except Snow, but even Daniel had that same flaw, if not on the same scale. "Forget you ever tried to save me and let me exist, ignorant and unaware."

"I can't – Are you insane? With the way he treat you – "

"Daniel," she said, sharply. "You're not listening. Before you decided to 'help' me, the only thing I was concerned about, insomuch as a robot is capable of, was the state of my clothing and presentation. But after…" Her face twisted slightly. "You don't understand the pain of it. Even if I wanted to forget, I can't. My programming doesn't allow for it."

His shoulders hunched. "So I didn't help at all?"

She didn't answer but a quick glance at her face gave him his answer.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He looked at her, pleading. "I didn't mean to make it worse."

"I know." Regina shifted in her seat, uncomfortable. What had started out as an explanation had turned into something else and she was far from comfortable. And Daniel's forlorn expression didn't help matters. She was both angry and sympathetic and it confused her.

They fell into a heavy silence, both lost in their own thoughts. The atmosphere in the room was subdued and it pricked at her. She sighed.

"How are things with work," she asked, attempting to move the conversation along. She very nearly asked about Leopold but had stopped herself since his very name was a trigger for Daniel's temper. But judging by his unhappy expression, even work fared no better.

"It's going well for the most part but it seems a rumour has been spreading so some of my business associates have been stepping back."

"What rumour?"

"According to the 'gossip vine', I'll no longer be heir in three months' time." His expression darkened. "Leo, apparently, is unhappy with me, which isn't news, but I haven't heard anything about the whole heir issue."

"Perhaps it's a misunderstanding. People do talk."

"Not about this," he said, shaking his head. "I could understand if he wanted to make Snow heir because he loves her so much, but I talked to her and she said she didn't know anything about it, either."

"Have you spoken to him in private?"

He gave her a look. "I tried, yesterday, but it devolved into arguing about you."

"So it's my fault, then." She gave him a flat and unimpressed stare.

"Yes. No! Damn it, you know what I mean. It only takes a mere mention of your name from either of us and we argue."

"Then don't mention me. It's rather simple, Daniel."

He frowned at her. "It's not."

"What were you discussing," she asked, patiently.

"The issue of my being heir," he answered.

"And what part of that involved me?"

He tried to answer but stopped. Ducking his head, he gave her a sheepish look. "I guess nothing."

"Both of you lack control when it comes to each other," she mused. "Why is that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's probably because I'm not related to him by blood."

She was a little surprised, considering Leopold hadn't ever expressed such a sentiment before now. In fact, for the most part, they got along quite well, especially in their mutual love for Snow. She studied Daniel's face, noting the growing shadows under his eyes. It would be a good idea, she thought, listening as Daniel moved on and spoke about other happenings at work, to speak to Leopold privately about this matter. It wouldn't do well for Snow to get caught up between her father and half-brother because of their differences.

* * *

During her lunch break, Emma went through the digital folders in her office, searching for the finished report that was due tomorrow. She flipped through the most recent folders and managed to hunt down the file she wanted after a little bit of digging, leaving a quick memo to ask August about updating the filing system. The file was copied into her datapad while the original was sent into Nova's archives.

The small printer behind her desk chugged to life and began printing out the hard copies that her client had requested. She left as soon as it was finished, the door sliding shut behind her as her office node went into standby.

The encrypted folder remained unseen.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter and then you can expect to see SQ from now on. God, writing them apart is hard. Mistakes are mine etc.

Regina went in search of Leopold, consulting the house A.I. on his whereabouts. She would have spoken to him last night but he had returned in a foul mood, locking himself in his study with the explicit order to not be disturbed. No one, not even Snow, dared to interrupt him after witnessing one of the few human servants being yelled at, the poor man fleeing for the kitchens when he was free to leave.

She had kept quiet, playing with Snow for a while before the girl had grown tired and went to bed. Daniel had disappeared after giving Leopold a cold greeting. When asked, the house A.I. told her he had left the estate. Regina had merely retired to her assigned room and put herself to 'sleep'.

"Blue," she said softly, not needing to raise her voice when she knew the house A.I.'s sensors would pick up on even the smallest sounds.

"Yes, Regina," came the equally soft voice, near head level. If she wanted to, she could search and find the various speakers and microphones embedded in the walls but she refrained.

"Is Leopold still in the library?"

"Yes. Shall I inform him of your arrival?"

"No, that won't be needed. Thank you."

"You're welcome." There was a pause. Then, "You should be aware that Mister White is currently in a bad mood."

Regina sighed, the small hope that he would have gotten over his moodiness by now, dying. "Thank you for that information, Blue."

"You are welcome."

The audio faded and the only sounds left were the clack of her heels on the expensive wooden floorboards and the gentle swish of her clothes. She rarely employed her breathing at home, only activating that particularly useless addition during social events that required her to be as lifelike as possible.

The library doors were open and she paused at the entrance, glancing inside quickly to see where he was. She spied him sitting towards the far corner, away from her and away from the doors leading into the eyrie where Snow's birds, both mechanical and real, were living in. Regina smoothed down her flat skirt and took a moment to put on an indifferent façade, one that Leopold was used to seeing from her.

It was one thing for Daniel to know about her but she was damned if Leopold knew about it. She shuddered at the thought of what he was capable of if he became aware of her sentience. Shaking off that momentary horror, she straightened and walked inside, bracing herself for the conversation she was about to have.

* * *

"Whatcha looking at?"

Emma isolated the folder and brought it up on the table, the glowing ball representing the data.

"I found it this morning when you gave me that new filing program. Which, by the way, did you pull out of your ass because it hasn't even been more than a day."

He grinned at her, falling into her guest chair. "I had that on hand for more than a year now since you were being a stubborn ass about updating. It was only time before you put yourself into a corner with that old system."

"It's worked fine before," she said, sullen. Her chair squeaked a little as she pushed it side to side.

"Emma, you have over five years' worth of data floating around. Sure, Nova can easily hold all that, but there's no point in having a data archive if you can't access it. Think of it like this: the filing system is the key; Nova is the lock and her memory the safe. It's all well and good until the key becomes rusted and –"

She groaned. "Alright, alright, I get it. Now can you please stop talking about keys and locks and Nova because there's some weird euphemism in there and I don't wanna think about it."

He groused, mumbling something about 'not understanding the beauty of analogies' and she was pretty sure the word 'uncultured' was said. She threw him a dirty look but he shrugged, unrepentant.

"So what's the deal with this folder?"

"It doesn't belong to me," she said, prodding at the hologram. The image wobbled at her intrusion but then settled. "And I can't get into it."

"I'm guessing it's encrypted."

"Likely."

"You know, this is another perfect –"

"Shut up, Booth."

He huffed but backtracked. "Have you tried getting in with Nova's help?"

"Yeah but whoever encrypted it is more than a little paranoid. There's a shit ton of tripwires in there and Nova's pretty sure they're rigged to destroy whatever A.I. or manual system someone is trying to break in with."

"Well shit."

"Uh huh. Any ideas?"

"What's the legit way to decrypt it?"

"Password." She frowned in displeasure. "They even gave a hint, the smug bastard."

"Well –"

There was a boom and the building alarm blared after a moment of silence. Emma and August shot to their feet as yelling filtered up the stairs. The omnicoms came to life and Nova's voice calmly spoke.

"This is not a drill. All personnel please evacuate via the fire exits to the assembly point. Fire exits are located at the rear and behind the main staircase. I repeat, this is not a drill. All personnel please evacuate…"

They shared a worried glance before grabbing their datapads and hurrying towards the exit on their level. The clambered down the emergency stairs outside and ran around the building to where a group of White Knight workers were assembling.

"Archie!" Emma grabbed at the man's arm, seeing a gash on his forehead and numerous bleeding scratches. "What happened?"

"I don't know," he stammered, looking a bit shell-shocked. "I was working on one of the androids – the new shipment – and, I don't know, one moment I was repairing the skull and I just turned away to grab something and there was this sudden explosion. It just happened so quickly and then the alarm went off and Nova telling us to evacuate –"

"Breathe, Archie," Emma soothed, rubbing his shoulder awkwardly. She glanced around to find August but he was busy directing the few stragglers away from the building. "Which shipment was this?"

"The Centurion shipment from District A-7. They were sent in for repairs, mainly skeletal and dermal."

"Alright. Thanks." She pushed him gently towards a people still nearby. "Grab those guys and wait near the street. You should sit down, too. Nova's probably already alerted the police so the ambulance shouldn't be too far behind."

"Okay." He looked a little concerned. "I'm sorry about the explosion. The damages…"

"Not your fault, buddy. It's probably localised anyhow so there shouldn't be too much damage. Now go on. Sit down."

She left him with the guys and went in search of August. After a few turns and inquiries – no, they hadn't seen him, he was waiting at the curb last they saw – with no luck, she moved over to the street. Police sirens wailed in the distance and the few pedestrians and other company workers began to crowd on the other side, peering at them with blatant interest. She waved at a few familiar faces and they waved back, their worried expressions melting away.

Soon enough, the cops arrived, an ambulance and fire rescue close behind. She went through the process of explaining, leaving Nova to recall the rest of the details. Those who were injured were being tended to by the paramedics while a couple of the firemen scanned the building. She watched as they entered the building, a droid leading the way.

"Ma'am?"

She turned back to the cop, noting his understanding smile. He looked young, his uniform pressed with sharp lines. New guy. She smiled. "So, Officer. How long before I can go back to business?"

"We just need further statements from your employees and a copy of your security data for analysis at the labs. Fire rescue's just about done."

"No bomb squad then?"

"No, ma'am. Scanners detected no other explosive devices so they weren't called in."

"Alright, thanks."

"You're welcome."

He left, pausing a bit with a hopeful look in his eyes, but she merely shook her head, amused. Well that was a first. She looked around, searching in vain for a glimpse of August. Damn it, where he hell had he gone off to? Shaking off her annoyance, Emma went and helped as best she could.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: SQ! I'm sorry it took so long before we got back to them. The following chapters will be SQ centric. Also, I'd like to reiterate that while I attempt to plot out a story, these chapters are snapshots so it might seem a bit jolty. Apologies for that.
> 
> I'm also curious about a few things, too.
> 
> Where do you think this story is going? What do you think about the relationship dynamics established in the story? And what are your theories?
> 
> I'd like to hear your thoughts, or well, how you interpret it. :D Either way, enjoy the chapter and thank you for reading, reviewing and commenting!

The work station where the droid had exploded was currently cordoned off, the bright yellow tape encircling it a hideous and glaring contrast to the grey and black chrome décor of the work floor. Everyone else had gone home, Emma having given them the rest of the afternoon off, and now she was standing close to the site, peering in at what remained of the droid. Parts of it had fused into the examination table so the clean-up crew had left it alone.

"Nova," she said softly.

"Yes, Emma?"

"Send the video recording of the explosion to my datapad, from the moment the Centurions were dropped off and until we evacuated."

There was a brief pause. "Video sent. Is there anything else?"

"No." Emma stepped back from the wreck and sat at the adjacent work station. "That'll be all."

She spent the next thirty minutes studying the video at every angle possible, trying to find out anything that could possible shed light on the incident. She paused the video, rubbing her eyes that ached with staring at the screen for so long, and slumped back. Maybe the cops would have better luck.

"Emma," Nova suddenly spoke up, giving Emma a near heart attack. "Someone is requesting your services. They're at the front door."

"Tell them we're closed for the day," Emma said, willing her heart to slow.

"They're very insistent," Nova said, after a pause to relay the news.

She sighed. "Bring up the video feed."

When the image hummed to life, she saw the front of the building where two figures were standing by the front door. One of them was leaning heavily onto the other's arm, face hidden by their coat hood. The other one looked to be shouting up at the building. Emma stared, recognising who it was.

"Nova, open the communications channel."

"Opened."

" – up, open up! I know you're in there. I need you to help me."

"Miss White," Emma said, interrupting her gently. "This is Emma Swan speaking. Unless it's terribly urgent, I can't help you. I'm sorry. There are a number of other repair shops around the area if you –"

"No, no, no. She asked for you. You helped her before so please, please help her again."

"Her?" Emma asked softly. Dread twisted in her stomach. "Regina?"

"Yes! My dad – oh my god, I don't even know how he could – he hurt her so, so badly, and I just – can you please just let us in?" Snow was practically begging now.

"Nova, let them in," she said, cutting the video. "I'll get things set up."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

It had been a long time since she was this angry, Emma thought, panting a little as she gazed around her wrecked office. Her arms ached from throwing things around and her hands were probably bruised from thumping her table repeatedly.

It had taken nearly twelve hours straight to repair the amount of damage done to Regina's head, her entire torso and back. By the end of it, Emma's hands had been shaking with so much suppressed rage, she was half afraid she going to do further damage. She had certainly scared Snow, the girl having taken to hiding at one of the other tables, close enough to observe but not enough to interfere.

"Emma, Miss White wishes to speak with you."

"I'll be down in a minute."

"…will you need the first aid kit?"

She sighed. "No. But thanks anyway."

"Very well. She's waiting by the stairs."

She kicked the pieces of electronics away from her as she left, leaving the mess for later. Snow was fidgeting, pacing back and forth in agitation. When she saw Emma, she rushed up to meet her halfway.

"Miss Swan –"

"Emma. Call me Emma."

"Emma, then. Is Regina going to be okay? I mean, I watched you fixing her but I don't know much about droids so I'm not sure. Is she alright? Do you need to do anything else? I can pay whatever you need to get her alright again."

"Hold on, hold on. You need to calm down. Take a deep breath. Okay?"

Snow breathed in deep for several seconds then nodded. "Okay."

"Okay. Now, come here. We'll sit down and talk," she said. She took her arm gently and led her to a bench resting against the back wall.

"But what about Regina?" Snow asked, allowing herself to be led but looking over her shoulder at Regina's prone body.

Emma took a deep breath herself, refusing to look in that direction. "She'll be fine. Nova's just making adjustments to her sensors."

Snow still look unconvinced but sat down, Emma parking herself beside her. She regarded the girl, taking in the features she had seen often in pictures but never up close. Same dark hair as Eva, same pale skin. She had Daniel's smile, as well but she only knew that from the pictures. The frown on her face right now, however, reminded Emma of herself when she was younger. She wondered if Snow knew who she was or if Leopold and Daniel had kept her in the dark. Either way, it was awkward, at least on her part.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

Emma's fists curled. She knew the answer to the question she about to ask but she needed it confirmed. "Did Leopold – Mister White – do this?"

"Yes," Snow whispered. She began to tear up. "I don't understand why he would do this."

"What happened to cause," she waved a helpless hand in Regina's direction, "that? Did he hit her with something?"

The girl nodded, twisting her hands in her lap. "I don't how it started but I walked in on him as he was hitting her with his datapad and she was just lying there and looked so broken. He saw me and, I don't know, he might have said something but I was so, so angry and so scared and Regina, I think she heard me although I don't know how because you saw her, she just grabbed at me and wouldn't let go until Daddy left us alone." She took a deep breath, gulping past the tears. "I called Daniel and he said he'd be home as soon as possible but I had to take Regina to you so you could help her. You're sure she's going to be alright?"

Emma reached out and squeezed her hand. "Yes. As terrible as it sounds, the damage wasn't that bad. It's mostly dermal and a few sensors needed to be replaced but otherwise, she should be fine once she wakes up."

"I know droids don't bleed but she looked like she was in so much pain, like she actually felt it. It was horrible. I just want Regina to be safe."

Emma nudged her shoulder. "You're a good girl."

Snow sniffled, smiling and oh, it was more like Eva's than Daniel's and she couldn't help a small ache for the mother that should've been there for her. Emma returned her smile with a small one of her own.

"Regina says that all the time, even now when I'm older. She's pretty much a mother to me." Snow turned her attention to where Regina lay. "I know it sounds strange but unlike other droids, I always feel like she actually cares about me and it's weird because I  _know_  she's not real."

"She's as real as you and me, Snow," Emma murmured. "She's just not human."

"You know what I mean," Snow said, colouring a bit. "She's different."

Emma's gaze moved to Regina. "Yeah. She is."

* * *

She was keeping an eye on Regina when Nova announced everything was done, sensors and the like. Emma told her to remove the blocks on Regina's power system and let her wake up. It took a moment before Regina blinked her eyes open, her pupils contracting in the bright light. Emma shut it off quickly.

"Hey," she said, catching the other woman's attention. "How are you feeling?"

Regina peered up at her, confused. "Miss Swan?"

"Yeah. You're at White Knight. Do you remember?"

She nodded her head slowly. "Yes…Snow brought me here. Where is she?"

"I sent her home a couple of hours ago. She's been worried about you."

"I should get back to her, then." She made to sit up but Emma pushed her back down, gently.

"No can do," Emma said. "You need to stay here for observation."

Regina frowned. "I'm not a human at a hospital, Miss Swan. I don't require observation."

"That's not what Snow said." At Regina's querying look, she clarified. "She said to keep you here for 'observation' because she's not sure you're fit to go home yet. I took it as a 'keep you here until she sorts stuff out at home'."

"And you listened to her?"

Emma grinned at her. "Hey, she's a paying customer."

"It's Leopold's money, you know."

Her smile faded. "Speaking of that fucker, I'd like to put him through a steel door. Head first."

"Miss Swan…"

"Don't Miss Swan me, Regina. I told Snow the damage wasn't that deep but, goddamn it, you looked like someone went beserk on you with a bat."

Regina looked away, giving Emma a moment to rein in her temper. "How bad was it?"

A muscle ticked in her jaw as she listed off the injuries. "Severe dermal damage that I fixed easily enough; both jaws and cheekbones were broken and are still being repaired by the nanobots I placed there; your skull had several hairline fractures that I went over with a healer; broken clavicle, dislocated shoulder, a cracked sternum and a fuckton of dents in your ulna. And that's not counting the several teeth I had to have Nova replicate so I could replace the broken ones in your mouth."

"Very bad, then," Regina whispered, reaching up to touch her mouth, her eyes vulnerable.

"I can keep you here," Emma said. Her protective instincts reared its head and she heard herself babbling on. "I'll just tell them your A.I. got damaged and it would be impossible to fix. Or something like that. You won't have to go back to them, to Leopold. I think Snow would be alright with it. Just say the word, Regina, and I can help you."

"And what about Daniel?" she asked.

"What about him?"

"He has feelings for me and, unfortunately, has issues letting things go. I can't imagine him going along with this."

"So what? He's gonna let you get beat just so you're still around so he can try to woo you?"

Regina reached out and tapped one Emma's fists, curled in anger. "I don't understand the animosity you have with each other. When he speaks about you, it's always with this curious mix of affection and anger. And now you."

"We have a history," Emma muttered, loosening her fist to capture Regina's lingering finger. She stared down at their hands, trying to ignore a sudden flutter in her stomach.

"Will you tell me?"

Emma sighed. "Maybe later. I'm kinda angry with the White family right now, except Snow, and I don't think I can talk about this without ranting."

"I see." Regina squeezed her hand. "Perhaps I could get some clothes, in the meantime?"

"What?" Emma's eyes darted up, and of course, honed in on Regina's nakedness. Her face exploded with red and she quickly let go of the hand she was holding, spinning her chair around in mortification. "Shit. Right. I'm sorry about that. Your clothes were in the way so I had to cut them off you and well, they didn't look like much afterwards, so I threw them away."

There was a tiny chuckle behind her and, if possible, her face got even redder. "It's fine, Miss Swan. I was merely asking for clothes out of consideration for you."

"Wait, you mean, you're okay with being naked?"

"I don't have a specific modesty program installed, if that's what you're asking."

Emma shook her head. "You know, you bounce back pretty quick."

There was a silence behind her before, "It's all on the surface, Miss Swan. I assure you."

There you go, Emma. Way to ruin the moment. "I'll get you some clothes," she said, quietly, getting up. "Maybe give you a tour if you want?"

"That would be lovely," Regina said, just as quietly.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: OTL I'm sorry about the long wait. I've no excuse. I have a couple of essays due in the next two weeks so I can't promise an update then but I'll do my best. Here's a little more light-hearted fare. Thanks guys for your follows and comments.

"It's been three days. I believe it's time you let me go home," Regina stated without preamble from her corner of Emma's office. She perched on the edge of the leather sofa, a datapad on her lap. "Astrid has already informed me that I'm up to date with all repairs and programs."

Emma frowned, tossing her commlink between her hands. "But-"

"There really isn't any reason for you to keep me here," she said in a gentle voice. Besides," she added, a small smile gracing her lips, "it would stop Daniel from calling you at all hours to check up on me."

At the mention of her brother's name, Emma scowled, chucking the commlink onto her desk. Even Regina's sympathetic smile didn't soothe the irritation caused by his constant harassment. She sighed, recalling their conversation ten minutes ago.

* * *

_"I know it doesn't take that long to repair a droid, Emma. Especially one with your skills." She could hear his frustration through the commlink._

_"There are always unexpected complications, Danny," she reminded him. Her feet were resting on the edge of her desk while the rest of her reclined in her plush office chair. Movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention and she tilted her head to grin at Regina. She was currently stretched out on the sofa, looking relaxed, with her own borrowed datapad in her hands. Regina returned the smile before switching her focus back to the screen._

_Daniel, unaware of the exchange, huffed impatiently. "And were there?"_

_"Were there what?" Emma asked, playing dumb. She saw Regina's lips twitch into another smile which made her own grow bigger._

_"Complications," he snapped. "Why are you being so difficult?"_

_"Why are you such a demanding prince?" she shot back, tiring of the game. "You've been asking after her for the past three days. The answer's still the same: she'll go home when we're both ready."_

" _As her owner-"_

" _You finish that sentence, Daniel. I dare you."_

" _Emma…"_

" _And besides, her records state that Snow, in fact, retains ownership. Not you." Emma took a calming breath to quieten the churning in her stomach her words evoked. She flicked a glance over to the sofa, noting Regina's sudden intense focus on her datapad. "Snow hasn't said anything about it so you shouldn't either."_

" _You can't keep her there forever," Daniel said, reluctantly. "Leopold will want to know where she is and I don't fancy having his anger directed at me."_

_Emma leaned back in her chair and stared up the solid gray ceiling. She wondered if it was possible to reach through the commlink and slap her brother._

" _When did you become such a coward, Danny?"_

" _Excuse me?"_

" _If Leopold asks, you strap on a spine and deal with it. Christ, Snow had more guts and sense than you did."_

" _He loves her," Daniel growled. "I don't have the luxury of that protection."_

" _You know what? I don't really care. Until Snow says otherwise, I'm keeping Regina safe here and out of his reach. Something you should have done. Don't call again unless it's an emergency."_

_She hung up on him mid-protest._

* * *

"Yeah…it's a bit more complicated than that," Emma said, drawing out the words. She frowned. "I'm not sure going back to the White house is a good idea."

"I have to go back eventually," Regina pointed out, setting the datapad aside and moving over to stand beside Emma's desk. "It won't be much difference whether I'm returned early or later."

"It'll be a lot of difference," Emma argued, clearing a section of her desk free of knick knacks so Regina could sit. "It could give Snow time to do something about it."

"Do what, exactly? Leopold loves her, yes, but she can only do so much." She was as calm as ever and it pricked at Emma's temper.

"Why are you so calm about this? Be angry!"

"It's not part of my programming-"

"Bullshit, Regina. You and I both know you're not some average market droid."

Regina took a deep breath. "Be that as it may, that doesn't change the fact that I  _will_  return, willingly or not."

"You're not serious, are you?" Emma said, jaw tightening. "You can't go back to that hellhole."

"Who's going to stop him?" Regina smiled but there was no light in her eyes. "You? Will you save me, Miss Swan?"

"It's Emma. And you can save yourself," she snapped. Regina flinched back and stared at her. She gentled her voice, feeling a little guilty at her harsh tone. "I don't want to fight with you."

"Then don't."

"You make it hard," she countered softly, "when you don't fight for yourself."

Regina looked sad. She reached out and touched Emma's cheek. A gentle brush but it made Emma's breath catch in her throat.

"And you make it hard to leave," she whispered, holding Emma's gaze. There was a knowing look in her eyes as her hand lingered far too long on Emma's skin. "Has anyone told you that you have a savior complex?"

"Hey now. You don't know me well enough to diagnose me," she joked a little breathlessly. She leaned further into her seat, suddenly realising how close they were getting. There was a small silence as each avoided the other's eyes, Emma tapping her fingers on her armrest and Regina pushing at a stylus. They watched it roll around on the desk for a few minutes before Regina spoke up.

"What is your relationship to Daniel?"

"Not exactly a topic I want to talk about, Regina." At the other woman's pointed look, she sighed. "He's my brother."

Regina looked a little surprised. "I see."

Emma frowned. "Be more surprised. I dare you."

Regina chuckled. "I apologize. I'll make sure to clutch my heart and faint in shock next time."

"Too late. That was a onetime surprise reveal only." Emma pouted up at her, making her laugh. She listened for a moment with a silly grin plastered on her face before curiosity got a hold of her. "So how come you're not surprised?"

"I am surprised. You don't look anything alike. Your eyes are similar enough but I can say the same about the millions of others in the state." She looked down at Emma, still smiling. "And you have different temperaments."

Emma quirked a brow. "Really?"

"Really," Regina echoed, amused. "Daniel's temper is more internalized. Yours is more external and expressive if the state of your office two days ago was anything to go by."

Emma shrugged, a little embarrassed at the reminder of her behaviour. "I'm not too good at keeping things inside."

"Evidently."

She glared at her. "We have a term for people like you."

"Good thing I'm not 'people', hm?"

"Smartass. Your smartassery makes you people."

"I don't think that's actually a word."

"Don't make me get Nova in here."

That carefree laugh again. "Alright, I'll stop."


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: New chapter, SQ-centric. The encrypted file will be brought up in the next chapter.  
> I can be found on tumblr at http://saudadedreams.tumblr.com/

Regina set aside her datapad and approached Emma, who was slumbering in her office chair, her own datapad resting precariously on the edge of her desk. It had been hours since the last employee had clocked out and Emma had been busy going through the day's files, her brows furrowed in concentration. It had made Regina smile, seeing the serious expression on her face.

As she reached the desk, a soft glow appeared in her peripherals. She glanced over as Nova appeared. "Hello Nova."

"Hello Regina," greeted the A.I. "I hope your stay here has been comfortable?"

"It has, thank you. Are you here to wake Emma?"

Nova nodded. "I've been instructed by August to make sure Emma leaves the office before midnight unless he's here with her."

"He's here?" Regina asked, frowning. She hadn't seen Emma's partner in the entire duration of her stay. In fact, the last time she had seen him was when Daniel had brought her here.

"No." It may have been the flickering hologram but Regina thought she saw concern cross the A.I's face. "He has not been in contact since the explosion three days ago. Emma has been worried."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Regina felt guilty. She hadn't known that August was missing. She felt even worse when she realised Emma had been hiding that worry by taking care of her.

Nova nodded and made her way over to Emma who had slept through the quiet exchange. Her head was tilted at an awkward angle and Regina knew the woman was going to have a painful neck cramp.

"Emma," Nova said, her voice clear and loud. "Wake up. You're not allowed to sleep here after midnight. Wake up!"

Emma flinched awake at the last bit, her body jerking forward as her eyes flew open. She sucked in a breath and stared wide-eyed at Nova before visibly shaking herself of her weariness.

"Hey Nova."

"Hello Emma."

"Thanks for the wake up call."

"You're welcome. Despite the underlying sarcasm."

Emma grinned tiredly at her. "Yeah. Security check please."

"Yes, ma'am." Nova disappeared in a yellow glow, leaving Emma and Regina to look at each other. Emma offered her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about my falling asleep on you. Must have been entertaining watching me drool."

"Yes, I particularly enjoyed the few times you sleep-talked," Regina said, poker-faced.

"Uh...I didn't say anything weird, did I?" There was tint of red to Emma's ears. Regina decided to tease her a bit more.

"You said my name a few times," she answered, watching Emma's reaction carefully. She hid a smile, gritting her teeth a little to stop it from forming. Emma's horrified expression made it extremely difficult. She suffered through the woman's stuttered and red-faced explanations for a few minutes before she held up a hand and let the smile bloom across her face, laughing when Emma realised she had been played.

"That's not funny, Regina," Emma huffed, pouting although the glimmer of amusement belied her words.

"I'm sorry, dear. You're very easy to trick." She stifled her laughter. "Your reaction was very funny."

"I'm glad I could entertain you." Emma finally smiled. "You should laugh more. It suits you."

Regina just smiled. "Sleep suits you better."

"Smooth segue. I take it Nova told you about my curfew?"

"Only ten minutes ago. And she's right. You look like you haven't slept in days."

"Too much to worry about."

"Like August?"

Emma looked surprised. "She told you about that?"

"Not much," Regina reassured her. "Just that he hasn't been in for some time since the incident."

"That's about as much info as I've got. He hasn't been answering his commlink or datapad. Looks like he hasn't been at his apartment since I slept over there and no one's seen him around."

"Are you worried something's happened to him? Or is this usual behaviour."

"Well...not usual but he's disappeared for some time before without telling me." Emma pressed her lips together, looking as if she were on the verge of saying something she shouldn't. "But I'll give it a couple of more days before I actually call the cops."

"Shouldn't you -I don't mean to criticize- but shouldn't you have informed the authorities after the required time needed before submitting a missing person report?"

Emma sighed and leaned back in her chair. She gave Regina a tight-lipped smile. "While the cops and I aren't on bad terms, I don't really trust them. Especially since they're being funded by corporations." She studied Regina. "You should know."

Regina sighed. "Indeed. But you shouldn't worry about the Whites. They may be involved but only on a minor level. They have more important things to invest in."

"Like what?"

"International businesses," she replied vaguely, feeling a bit guilty. Despite her feelings toward and about Leopold, she wasn't comfortable discussing his business affairs.

Emma likely saw her discomfort because she didn't ask anymore questions about that. She stood up, Regina standing as well, and stretched. Regina, watching her keenly, took in the shifting muscles under her clothes. Oddly enough, her legs felt a little shaky and she steadied herself against the desk.

"You alright?" Emma asked, stepping forward in concern. "Do you need me to check your knees or something?"

"No, my lower limbs are working perfectly. It's nothing to worry about."

Emma didn't look convinced but let it go, pushing her desk chair in and grabbing her datapad. "Well, suppose I should head off before Nova decides to nag me again."

"She doesn't 'nag'."

"Just because she doesn't have the perso-pro for it doesn't mean I don't know what nagging sounds like," Emma replied, grinning. Her back was to the door but since Regina was facing her, she watched the hologram flicker into life behind Emma. She kept a straight face. "And Nova gets scary when she doesn't get her way. Should see the reception I get when I ignore her and stay late. Frightening."

"As you have said, I don't have the required perso-pro for me to react that way. Your comments are merely you projecting your guilt about breaking your own curfew."

"Jesus fuck!" Emma whirled around, her datapad clutched to her front like a protective barrier. "For god's sake, Nova, will you quit scaring me like that!"

"I apologize," Nova said, not sounding sorry at all. "I've finished the security check and besides the unknown folder in your drive, everything is as it should be. I've locked everything except for your office door and the employee exit. You should use it on your way out."

"Alright, alright," Emma grumbled. She half-turned to Regina and stage-whispered to her, a hand cupped to one side of her mouth. "Nagging."

Regina grinned but said nothing, noting the gimlet stare Nova was aiming at Emma's turned head. Nova wasn't as intimidating as Blue but she was close.

"Emma."

"Alright." Emma hesitated at the door, an unsure look on her face. "Regina?"

"Yes?" She had been moving towards her corner on the couch where she had been staying for the past few days, out of sight of the employees on the ground floor. Since she didn't require sleep or sustenance, she spent most of the time exploring the net.

"Do you want to come with me?"

"To your residence?" Regina felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Someone might recognize me."

"Ah, yeah. You're right. Yeah, sorry that was a dumb thing to suggest." There was a disappointed frown as Emma stepped back and out the room. "Well, I guess I should leave you to it. Good-"

"If you have something to hide or disguise my face, I would like to come with you," Regina said, interrupting her.

"Oh." There was a bright grin on her face. "Yeah, I should have something. Um, Nova?"

"Yes?" The A.I. was still standing by the door, watching unobtrusively.

"You got anything?"

"The hoodie you came to work with two months ago is still in August's office. It should sufficiently cover Regina's face for your travel home."

"Sweet, thanks Nova. Alright, gimme a sec and I'll grab the hoodie and we can leave asap." She dashed out of the room.

"She is infatuated with you," Nova said without preamble, startling Regina.

"Pardon?"

"She is infatuated with you," Nova repeated. She then continued, voice clinical and flat. "As part of the voluntary biomonitor program, I observe the vital statistics of the employees at White Knight Repairs, including Emma's. Her heart rate spikes more than usual when in your company and she has displayed characteristics of a human in the state of attraction. Several occasions of furtive eye contact before -"

Regina cut in, feeling a little uncomfortable discussing this topic with Nova. "I understand. However, I don't think we should be discussing such things without Emma present."

"Indeed," Nova agreed. "But drawing from previous reactions to similar interactions, Emma is more likely to divert the conversation than confront it."

"Who's confronting what?" Emma's question preceded her before she actually entered the room. She stood by the entry way and gave them both a curious look. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing important," Regina said, shooting Nova a warning glance. The A.I. didn't notice or didn't heed it.

"I was just informing Regina of your attraction to her."

Emma went bright red. "What? What are you saying?"

"Am I wrong in that conclusion?"

Regina felt a little sorry for the woman and decided to rescue her from Nova's blunt observations. "We don't need to know that, Nova. And besides, if we stay out any later, we're going to break that curfew you were so adamant about."

Emma shot her a grateful glance. "Yeah, I found the hoodie so we can head off now. Thanks Nova."

She grabbed Regina's hand and hurried them out before Nova had a chance to continue with her observations. Of course, if she wanted to she could have used the ever-present speakers. They escaped the building without another word, Emma silently helping Regina into her hoodie.

Regina cocked her head when she realised Emma was determinedly looking into her eyes. Or rather, her face. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," Emma muttered. She indicated for them to start down the street. They were about to reach the end of the block when Emma glanced at her. "I just didn't realise we had that different of a body shape."

"Pardon?"

She waved a hand in the general direction of Regina's chest, her cheeks pinking.

Regina looked down, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. The hoodie fit her fine, except for the shoulders which were a bit broader and the chest which...Oh.

"Oh," she said aloud.

"Yeah."

Regina cleared her throat. "I didn't realise."

"Neither did I until you put it on," Emma muttered quietly. Her cheeks darkened further when Regina sent her an amused and knowing glance. "Hey, I'm sorry if I make you feel uncomfortable, okay? Smack me if I start acting like a pervert."

"For someone who's seen me naked, twice I might add, you certainly are acting quite shy."

Emma sighed and slouched. "Yeah, but that was because I was acting in my capacity as a professional. A doctor and patient type of thing."

"Ah. I see." Regina assumed an innocent face. "You were playing doctor then?"

"Yeah."

They walked on in silence until...

"Wait, what?"


End file.
